How to live a movie (Rewrite)
by Scout017
Summary: Based on the movie of HTTYD. Summer vacations just began for Annabelle. One day she's preparing to leave to Burgess, the other she finds herself on a place known as the Isle of Berk. But why does everything feel familiar? Reviews greatly appreciated.
1. Beginning of summer

**Author's note: *imitating a Viking accent* Hei, ma readers! Ah welcome yeh to ma new story! *Clears voice*. Actually, it's the rewritten version of 'How to live a movie'. The original story can be found in my profile. I really hope you guys enjoy this version as much as you enjoyed the original or even more so, if possible.**

 **DISCLAIMER: HTTYD is property of Dreamworks, not mine.**

 **I hope you like the chapter!**

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1\. Beginning of summer

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BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS

The math teacher was explaining something about the square root and how to solve it, but Annabelle wasn't paying attention. She stared at the clock waiting for it to ring two o'clock. Today it was the last school day. Annabelle longed for summer to come because on vacations she would go to Pennsylvania for an ice skating competition and also to visit some of her friends. A couple of days ago she had written a letter to her best friend Pippa, and her friend had agreed to let her stay in her house as guest. She was very excited.

Finally the bell rang and all the classmates cheered, throwing notebooks at the air and sending papers flying everywhere.

"What time is it?" A classmate yelled.

"Summer time!" they answered.

"What time is it?"

"It's the time of our lives!"

The brunette saw the teacher leave the classroom quickly and almost knock down the door at the same. She chuckled, noticing some of her classmates write messages on the whiteboard. They read:

 _'School is over!'_

 _'Summer arrived!'_

 _'Until next year!'_

The brunette finished putting all her last books on her bag and walked to the front as she wrote something on the board.

' _Have a nice summer!' –A._

Just the first letter, she decided, there was no need for her whole name due to she was the only one whose name started with an A. She smiled, lifting her blue hoodie up and she left the classroom. On her way to the school entrance, she found some of her best friends besides the now-empty-lockers, probably finishing collecting their things.

"Hi, girls," she waved as she walked towards them. A chorus of voices was heard back saying: "Hello", "Hey Anna!", "What's up?"

Yoleen was the first one to greet the girl with a hug even though she was a bit shorter than Anna. After her, Olive and Ray hugged Anna too. Elinor, Tammy, Ophelia and Emily just waved back from their place.

"Are you going to the party tonight?" Ray asked, for the first time her sleek hair was arranged into a ponytail and not free like every single day of the year. Anna pretended to be offended.

"Of course I'm going. It's the last party before I leave to Burgess. We have to celebrate we're finally out of school!" she said, reminding them of her journey.

"Right, when you go to Burgess, promise to write us every day?" Yoleen said. Anna bit her lip in doubt of keeping such promise, she would be busy, but for sure she would make time for her friends.

"Maybe not every day, but frequently is for sure," she replied.

"But of course you'll write us!" Olive exclaimed, making the others jump. "You wouldn't survive a week without us!"

The group of girls laughed because they knew it was more or less truth. In fact, none of them would survive without each other.

"I'll see you at 7pm, right?" Ophelia asked.

"Yup, hopefully I'll be ready in time." Anna said, at what some girls chuckled because they knew when she said five minutes, she meant an hour. It were rare the occasions when she was ready in time. The laughter was silenced by a noise and it took three seconds for Anna to realize it was her phone. She took her iPhone out of her bag and caught sight of a little number one highlighted in red, at the corner of an envelope. She opened it and realized it was a text from her mother.

 _I gtg to the office. Some problem on the system I have to check. Ttyl. Love u, Mom_

Even if the daughter wanted to smile, she wouldn't help but heavy a sigh. It wasn't the first time something like this happened; it was the fourth time that month. Supposedly, Annabelle (or Anna for short) and her family would spend her last day in Brownsville together, and tomorrow morning she would take a flight to Pennsylvania super early. But it seemed the plan had changed, just like it always did in occasions like this. Anna simply answered the message with a:

 _Ok, Luv ya._

And then she put her iPhone away. She raised her eyebrows in surprise when she found seven pairs of eyes staring at her.

Anna had no choice but to explain what happened and sadly, tell her friends she would not go to the party because someone had to take care of her eight year old sister, Liv. Her friends understood, but they were not happy about it and neither was Anna.

She said goodbye at them and then walked out of school, riding her bike way home. The brunette quickly arrived and left her bike on the garage, before entering her house with the copy key they kept under their "WELCOME" carpet. Since her twenty year old brother, Dallas, was not home, she had to suit herself with a bottle of Nutella chocolate and walked upstairs to her room. She only wanted to clear her mind and try to understand why things like that happened. Why her. Why every time. To her surprise, Anna found her sister lying in her bed, with a book opened in half resting in her face.

"What are you doing here?" Anna entered to the room and sat on the chair besides her desktop, taking her shoes off and placing a heel on top of the desk, leaning her back against the chair as she ate the Nutella.

"I was bored." Her sister's voice sounded muffled and the book moved up and down when she talked. "Mom left because something was going on at her work and left me with nothing to do. I've already fed Pusheen two bowls of Whiskas, if you were wishing to know. He's getting fat, did you notice?"

The teen raised an eyebrow and got the spoon out of her mouth. "Ya mianf iphen moth then hee alphew eeph?" she asked with her mouth full. She could feel Liv frowning under the book pages as she removed it from her face.

"What?"

She swallowed. "You mean even more than she already is?"

"Oh. Yes." Liv put the book back on her face as Anna rolled her eyes.

"If you didn't give him more food than she's supposed to have per day, maybe she wouldn't be a furred pig."

The little girl finally sat up on the bed and put the book aside. "Why do you call her a pig?" she asked.

"Because that's what she's turning into," Anna shrugged.

There was a _meow_ and a round-haired grey mass with black stripes walked between Liv's legs, purring and calling their attention.

"What do you want?" Anna asked tiredly. "You won't have more food until tomorrow. And don't even try the kitty eyes!"

The kitty let out another _meow_. Her name was Pusheen and she was a birthday present for Liv a month ago. Of course she got to choose the name, which actually fit the cat at the moment even if she was only a month old.

"Wanna watch a movie with me?" Liv asked as she picked the kitty up, which purred as her owner scratched her gently under her neck. Her little sister had green eyes and brown hair reaching just below her shoulders. She wore a yellow blouse and purple skirt, and a pair of shiny tennis shoes.

"Anything but Frozen," Anna replied, gaining a pout in response. It wasn't the fact that the movie was awful, in fact it was cool - no pun intended, but the song was just irritably catching. She was almost sure she could not bear hearing the song one more time or she would lose her head.

"Hey! You like to watch Gravity Falls!"

"So? It's not like every episode they sing irritable songs. The one time they did, it was rather funny. It's completely different," Anna said, turning her laptop on and looking around for her headphones.

"Mom says cartoons are for kids," the eight year old said, due to the fact her mother said they could be studying instead of watching TV. So when Anna went to her friends' houses they used the opportunity to watch as much TV shows as they could.

"Let me be, would you?"

"Ugh, fine."

The big sister flinched at the noise the little sister caused when she slammed the door as she left. Then the teen put on the headphones and played one of her favorite songs.

 ** _I don't know where you're going, but do you have room for one more troubled soul? I don't know where I'm going, but I don't think I'm coming home. And I said, "I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead". This is the road to the ruin and we're starting at the end..._**

Alone Together from Fall Out Boy. She used to hear music because she felt it helped to let go of her emotions and relax.

 _Knock, knock, knock._

"Yeah?"

There was silence. The girl shrugged and continued doing her things, when suddenly something startled to tickle her at her sides.

"Dallas haha! N-No, haha stop! Hahaha hahaha!" Anna jerked her body and gave a few kicks in the air, laughing so hard she and someone else fell to the ground. Sitting up, she confirmed it was her brother. His hair was so blonde it was almost white, and he had ice blue eyes. He wore a white t-shirt, a dark blue leather jacket with red and white stripes on the sleeves, black jeans and blue converse, and he had a golden chain with a tooth on his neck, which had carved a "D".

"...admit it was fun..." he said breathless, his arms spread apart.

"It wasn't," Anna said between breathes, although failing miserable to hide a smile. Dallas always knew how to cheer her up or to make her laugh even if she only cracked a smile.

"C'mon sis, you were laughing at the top of your lungs." He pulled himself into a sitting position and smirked. "You can't deny this ain't funny!"

"It's not... At least is not always." Anna sat back on the chair just when a couple of hands covered her eyes. " _Dallaaaaaassss_."

Dallas moved his head so his sister felt his breathing on her ear and smiled at what he was about to do. "You know what I want babe..." he whispered, sending a shiver through her spine and holding back a groan. Anna hated when her brother talked dirty.

"Then go and look out for Rachel," she snapped. Rachel was Dallas' girlfriend and she was three years younger than him.

He turned the chair around so the younger one was facing him, then he carried her bridal style and fell to the bed with his sister still on his arms. "Give me what I ask, and nobody'll get hurt," he said in a threatening tone, but in a low voice.

"Okay..." Anna squeaked. As she felt her brother let go, she suddenly grabbed a pillow and hit him right on the face with it. He yelped in surprise, rolled over the bed, and fell to the ground. He showed up seconds later and Anna couldn't help but laugh when she noticed his hair was ruffled with feathers.

"It's on, you little cheater!" he said with a grin.

For about five minutes they had an epic pillow fight until she ended somehow on top of him, but she was too lazy to move off.

"You givin' up?" he asked. She just hugged him and said something with her voice muffled because her face was lying against his warm chest. Dallas guessed his sister's words and hugged her back.

"I love you back, sis... Hey, gimme some lighters, would you?"

Anna rolled her eyes, knowing what he was referring to. "Yeah, but leave quickly, unless you want to set the house on fire."

"Pff, I ain't stupid," he said as he walked towards her drawer and started looking out for a box.

"Yeah... I can't help but doubt about it."

Anna turned at him just to confirm he found it, and yes, he had. He held in his hand a package of cigarettes.

"Be back late," he said lastly before leaving her room through the window.

 _Boys these days,_ she thought.

Dallas smoked since he was between fourteen and sixteen years old. He used to gather around with a gang of his at nighttime, which they called "Dragon Riders". Every once in a while they had rumbles with other gangs such as the "Dragon Hunters" - their worst rivals, "The Outcasts" or "The Berserkers", and almost no one had any idea of their origin.

 ** _Say "yeah, let's be alone together", we could stay young forever. Scream it from the top of your lungs, lungs, lungs. Say "yeah, let's be alone together", we could stay young forever._** ** _We'll stay young, young, young, young, young..._**

Anna took off her headphones and put them on the desk as the music kept playing before she went to Liv's room to check on her. She was watching a movie, one Anna hadn't seen before.

"Hey Liv, whatcha doing?"

"I'm watching a movie, wanna see it with me?" She offered, moving herself already so her big sister could lie down on the bed too. Anna smiled and got comfortable on the bed, as she looked at the movie her little sister was watching. She frowned when she didn't saw the walking snowman and the reindeer on the screen.

"What movie is that one?" the teen asked curiously.

"It's a movie about Dragons," the little girl said, as her sister raised her both eyebrows in surprise. A movie about Dragons? That was new for the little one. She exactly wasn't a fan of them, and if Anna was honest, she wasn't either. But she did see them from a different point of view from all people. They all believed they were scary and dangerous, she believed they were just misunderstood. Not that she was an expert on creatures, much less on those.

"Why are you watching this?"

"I don't know... I turned the TV on and it was the first thing I saw, so I left it. I've been watching the movie for a little while and I'm beginning to like it a lot."

 _If Liv liked it, I should give it a try,_ Anna thought. As the movie continued, she remembered one of her best friends, Ahti, said something about it. It was his favorite and after watching the movie, Anna could get why.

Her mother arrived two hours and half later and bought a pizza on the way back home. The brunette only wished Dally would have stayed, so the four would have had dinner together for the first time in so long.

After dinner she went back to her room to sleep. The sooner she slept, the sooner summer would arrive and she was totally looking towards that. However, Anna woke up at the middle of the night. She looked at the digital watch on her iPhone and eye widened.

11:56 PM.

 _Really, it's not even tomorrow._

She rubbed her eyes and went downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of milk, as she remembered the dream was about the movie, about her being inside the story and meeting the Vikings and training with Dragons. It was amazing, and it was the best dream she had in five years. Did she really love the movie that much?

Annabelle walked through the living room and stared for a moment to the window. When seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she returned to her room and went back to sleep. As her head hit the pillow, she was out before her iPhone rang 12:00 AM.

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 **So that was the new version of chapter one, I hope you liked it. Don't forget to follow this story so you won't miss an update and fav if you really enjoyed it. Please leave a review when you're done reading. Thank you so much you guys. Until Next Time!**

 **Scout017, out.**

 **P.S. Have you seen the new trailer or Race to the Edge season 4?!** **It's amazing!**


	2. Waking up on Berk

**Author's note: Hei ma readers! As you probably noticed, the rewrite version has several changes. All I have to say is that since I'm rewriting all the story, it's most probably 'HTLAC I' is going to be rewritten as well, however I'm not looking forwards to that anytime soon. That story and the original version of this one will stay available on my profile until further notice. Thank you so much for the ones that followed and favorited this story, I love you guys!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

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2\. Waking up on Berk

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BERK, CHIEF'S HUT

Annabelle found herself waking up by the sound of voices instead of her alarm. What time was it? And where was she? Did she oversleep? Was she already in Burgess?

"...is this girl?" a male voice said.

"I don't know, she just... Appeared out of nowhere!" another male voice said, but this one had a nasal accent.

"What do you mean? Explain yourself."

"I..."

The voices stopped when there was a groan and it took Anna a few seconds to realize she groaned. Her eyes fluttered open and two people, a boy and a man, filled her vision. She screamed in surprise and crawled away from the men, who looked at her with blank expressions, until her back met a wall. Her heart was pounding and her breathing accelerated.

"Hey, it's okay," the boy said, and Annabelle got a good look of him. He had auburn hair and forest green eyes. He wore a green long sleeved shirt, dark green pants, a brown leather belt, brown furred vest and boots. It took her about seven seconds for her mind to click and she remembered where she had seen him before. She opened her mouth to ask a question, and a second later she bit her tongue before she could say anything.

 _Hiccup?_ she asked in her mind.

 _Don't be foolish. No way that's the same Hiccup you saw in the movie from yesterday,_ a voice in her mind said.

 _Unless this is a dream,_ another voice pointed out.

 _Even if it's a dream, you don't go and tell someone from your dreams he's just your imagination and that he's not real._

 _Right._

"W... Where am I?" Annabelle stuttered, for a moment unsure if it was a good question.

 _Much better,_ the voice said.

"This is Berk." 'Hiccup' said as he offered her a hand to stand up, which she accepted with a small smile. "Sorry if we scared you. Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you. Who are you?"

"I'm Hiccup, and this is my dad." Hiccup gestured to the man behind him. The man had a big red beard, and wore a horned helmet on his head, a fur cape that hung from his shoulder-pads, a green t-shirt and leather bracelets, furred boots and dark pants.

"I'm Stoick the Vast, chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe," Stoick said walking forward, "But I believe the question here is, who are you?"

"My name is Annabelle." Stoick frowned at the mention of her name. "I know: it's weird. The thing is my parents couldn't decide between calling me Anna and Belle, so they put both names together."

There was a moment of silence. It was taking everything in Annabelle not to lose her cool posture and start bombarding the men with questions like who were they, if she was really in Berk, or if they killed Dragons and some part of her wanted to figure out if this was really a dream. If it was, she couldn't believe how realistic it seemed!

"So, who are your parents?" Stoick asked.

Annabelle tensed and she had to bit her tongue again to not gasp. Crap, she wasn't prepared for this. What was she supposed to say?

"I... I don't have any parents," she said slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"They... Died... When our boat caught in a storm and I was the only survivor. We come from, uh... From the Southern Isles!" she said a bit too quick to be convincing, so to compensate the lie, she paused and did her best to shed a real tear, which wasn't too hard. She just thought of something very sad and within the seconds, her eyes got cloudy.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hiccup asked, alarmed the moment he noticed a tear run through the girl's cheek... No, not one, not two, but THREE _._

"I'm..." Annabelle sniffed a few times before taking deep breathes to calm down. "I'm okay. Thanks."

"Don't worry," Hiccup assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Dad's chief, so we'll think of something. Right, Dad?"

Stoick sent a glance at his son to tell him to stop for a second. He was going too fast, he had barely introduced herself to this girl, a stranger from a place he had never heard of in his life and Hiccup was already inviting her to stay without his permission? It would seem he had never taught this boy anything. But Stoick should know: Hiccup wasn't a normal boy.

But when Stoick saw both teens interact, an idea came to mind like lightning. He nodded as he thought it might be a temporary solution while he looked for a permanent one to fix this.

"Of course, in fact I have already thought about what needs to be done," he said.

"Really?" Hiccup raised his eyebrows in surprise, this being the first time his father had agreed with him on something without the need to beg to convince him. He smiled at Annabelle. "You see? Everything's going to be okay."

Annabelle just smiled back at him. She watched as Stoick placed a heavy hand on his son's shoulder, almost knocking him to the ground as she placed a hand over her mouth to stiffen her giggles. "I'll leave Hiccup in charge of you. He'll be your personal companion," Stoick declared.

"Excellent!" Hiccup exclaimed before realization struck him. "Wait... you'll leave what?"

The chief was oblivious to the young man's reaction. "He'll help you install and find a place to stay while I ready everything for your journey back to your Isle in a few days when ye're fully recovered, right son?"

"Uhh..." Hiccup turned to Annabelle who was looking at him expectantly and gave a nervous smile. "Sure, but that wasn't exactly what I had in mind..."

"Great!" Stoick patted his back almost sending him face-first to the floor. "Now, I need to go. A chief's duty never ends."

With those last words, he turned around and left the two teens alone in the house. An awkward silence followed, before Annabelle's stomach growled. The brunette blushed and put a hand over her stomach, trying to shush it.

"Um... are you hungry?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah... I could eat," Annabelle said looking away in embarrassment, but apparently Hiccup didn't mind.

He made his way towards the small kitchen and turned on the fire to warm up the soup from a caldron. Annabelle walked towards the table besides her and sat, waiting patiently and watching the boy work at the kitchen. Seconds later, the Viking returned with two bowls of soup, one for each of them.

"Thank you," Annabelle said with a smile, taking a bowl with her hands.

"You're welcome," Hiccup replied as he took a seat.

"Bon appetite." She paused when Hiccup stared at her. "It means, 'enjoy your meal' in French."

"I used to know a few words in French."

Annabelle almost dropped her spoon in shock. "Really?"

"Well, before my grandfather passed away, he used to teach me a lot of languages. He taught me French, English, Runes, and Roman. But..." Hiccup looked to the ground. "My father didn't like him to teach me. He said it was useless, that I should be learning sword-fighting or practicing Bashyball or something. He wasn't too happy when I gave him my report card the last time."

The rest of the meal they had it in silence. While Hiccup did the dishes, Annabelle walked to the wall where many shields and some weapons were hanging on. The shields were very attractive, they had rare markings that Anna had never seen before, and they intrigued her. She could swear on the edges there were some writings too, but in another language.

"Do you like them?" a voice asked. The brunette blinked and turned around, finding Hiccup staring at them too as he dried up his hands with a towel.

"Yeah, they are really interesting," she said before shrugging. "Back home there aren't many shields like in here. In fact I barely have seen one before, and it was a toy."

The young man frowned for a moment. "Um, I wanted to ask you. This home of yours, the... Southern Isles I think you said; where are they exactly?"

Annabelle looked at the floor with a hand on her chin, thinking. "I couldn't explain so easy. I don't have a map to tell you and I don't even know where I am. I know its Berk, but I don't know how close or how far it is from my home."

"I think I can help," he said.

Hiccup took from his vest an old notebook and a charcoal pencil and handed it to her. Then, she tried her best to draw the world the way she knew it. She was not exactly the best at drawing, much less when it was about maps, but she did an effort. When she finished, she marked with a small cross where she lived.

"Are you done?" Hiccup asked slowly, not trying to be rude or anything. Annabelle nodded.

"Yes. Give it a look."

The boy moved the chair closer and he leaned over her shoulder to have a good look at the map. He examined the drawing for a few seconds, frowning in confusion and then blinking in realization, before his eyes stared at one specific point of the notebook, right where the cross was located.

"Wait a second..." he said as he pointed at the cross. "Which island is this? Are those the Southern Isles like you said?"

Annabelle stared at what Hiccup pointed to and then she shook her head. "Um... No, that's not an island. That's a country, where my home is. It's actually called America," she explained.

Hiccup gasped, standing up from his chair and stumbling a few steps back as he let the information sink in, surprising Annabelle. That couldn't certainly be _the America_. Everyone knew it was something a Viking who was out of his mind invented!

"But most people say," he began slowly; "there isn't such place as America. Most people say that it's an imaginary land that only crack point weirdos believe in. Most people think that the earth is as flat as a pancake, and if you sail too far for the west you will fall off the end of it."

"What?" Annabelle blinked, before kitting her eyebrows together. "Who told you that?"

"My grandfather for one," he started to count with his fingers, "Gobber too, my dad three, the village four... Well, everybody says so."

Annabelle passed a hand through her face, before sighing. "I'm sorry Hiccup, but you most forget everything they have told you. There _is_ such place as America. I'm come from that place, not from the Southern Isles, which don't even exist. I made it up." Hiccup raised his eyebrows but before he could say anything Annabelle continued. "I didn't know what to tell you, I was scared." _In fact,_ _I still am,_ she completed in her mind. "But I can tell you the world isn't flat like a pancake, nor squared like a cube. It's actually round like a sphere. Here..."

She turned the page and started drawing the whole world. While she did that, Hiccup sat back on the chair as he watched her hand hold the pencil and move smoothly against the paper. This time, she named each of the five continents.

"Wow," Hiccup breathed when the drawing was done, "Does the earth is really round like you say?" he questioned, eyeing the huge circle in the paper.

She nodded with a small smile, proud of teaching something new to a person. "Now, could you please tell me where do you think Berk is located?"

He nodded as Annabelle gave him the pencil back and it took him a while until he recognized one of the map's shores. It was near Rome, in a whole different country from where she lived.

"Europe," she said. "So that means... I'm at the other side of the world."

 _Oh, this is just great. I'm just at the other side of the world, with no idea of how I'll get back home. My family doesn't even know where I am, this is probably and most likely the last place anyone would think of. Who would believe I'm in a country with Vikings and **real** friggin' Dragons? Dear Lord, I'm in very, really **big** trouble._

Once again, the silence ruled in the house. Annabelle looked away trying to find something else to say, but when she turned at the Viking, she found him with his eyes narrowed, staring at her.

"Um... What are you doing?" She raised an eyebrow. Hiccup raised both of his eyebrows in surprise before turning away.

"I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely. "It's just... Your clothes are really weird."

The brunette stared down and looked at herself. She was wearing jeans, a gray t-shirt underneath a blue a hoodie, and white tennis shoes with three black stripes on the sides. Her brown reddish, straight hair was tied up into a high ponytail. Her eyes then fell on Hiccup's clothes, and compared to his she figured out hers did seem out of date.

"Maybe you're right," she admitted, "but I don't have anything else to wear."

Hiccup scratched the back of his neck and of a sudden, he got an idea. "Hold on, I think you could borrow some of my clothes," he offered, "If you want them, of course, I know they're not for a girl, but we don't have any dresses for you to borrow."

"Yeah... It'll be fine, I don't really see a problem," she said, which was true due to the fact she and her older brother shared most of their t-shirts and jackets since they were kids.

"Okay," he said as he walked towards the stairs. "Wait here, I'll be back in a minute."

He climbed the stairs up to the second floor, and a couple of minutes later he returned with something in hand.

"Thank you."

"No problem. I'll go right back upstairs so you can change." He turned around to leave, but Annabelle stopped him.

"Wait. What if someone comes and opens the door?"

"Oh... I didn't think of that. Then, I'll be outside checking if anyone comes." He pointed to the door with his thumb, and the girl nodded as he watched him walk outside.

When Hiccup left, he closed the door behind him and Annabelle changed as fast she could, within three minutes she was ready. Her outfit was basically the same thing Hiccup wore, except for the vest. Not that she minded, the clothes were actually really comfortable, except for the belt which she had to tighten because the shirt was at least two sizes bigger than her.

"Uh, Hiccup, you can come in now!" she called after redoing her hair into a ponytail using a dark blue lath.

He opened the door again, but he was using a hand to cover his eyes. "I-is it safe to look? Can I see?"

"Yeah, you can now," Annabelle assured him.

He removed his hand and blinked as she stood up. "You look nice. I mean, for using a guy's clothes."

"Thanks. Now I should look like a Viking, even if I look like a boy." She chuckled. "Would you mind if I leave my clothes here?"

"Maybe there is enough space in my closet where I can leave them, so they won't get too dirty," he said, taking them on his hands and climbing back up, but in less than a minute he was already down again.

Annabelle couldn't help but laugh when she realized the fact they were wearing the same clothes. Considering that both of them had brown hair, color eyes and pale skin, she found it pretty hilarious that they were not real siblings. On the other hand, Hiccup didn't get why the girl was laughing. Did he say something funny? Had he missed something? He just raised a confused eyebrow as the girl tried her best to quiet her laughter down when she noticed the look he was giving her.

"I-I'm sorry," she said between giggles, pinching her forearm to help her laughter die down faster. "It's just... I found kind of funny that we look very alike. You know, people could think of us as actual twins."

Hiccup stared at her for a few seconds before he looked at himself and he realized she was right. He couldn't help but chuckle as well and soon both of them were laughing together until they were out of air.

"You know... I've never told anyone, but I would actually like to have a twin," Annabelle commented.

"Why?" Hiccup asked, still shaking a little. Annabelle leaned her chin against her hand.

"I don't know. Maybe it would be quite funny, and it would be pretty amazing too. But I'm not gonna complain about having the same fun with my brother." She raised her hands defensively.

This caught Hiccup's attention in a greater way than before. "You have a brother?"

"Yes. A sister, too, we're three siblings: I'm the one in the middle, and my brother is the oldest. There's a difference between us about almost five years, and between my younger sister and I about seven."

As Hiccup listened to Annabelle while she talked about her siblings, he wondered in his mind what was to have a sibling. He always thought he was lucky to be a single child when he watched how often the Thornton twins fought and the way they talked to each other, or when he remembered how bad the relationship between his father and his uncle was, but from what he was hearing right now it seemed that it was actually something good. He realized that maybe it depended on each family, or the type of siblings you had. He had to admit that it surprised him when Annabelle said she had a lot of fun with her _brother_ , when she just mentioned there was about five years of difference between them. Did the age and gender also affect that kind of relationship?

He got out of his train of thoughts when he heard a question and he raised his gaze to meet a pair of blue eyes.

"Sorry?"

"What about you?" Annabelle repeated, noticing he probably was too deep in his thoughts he didn't hear her. "I mean your family. Do you have any siblings?"

Hiccup pressed his mouth into a tight line as he looked away. "No."

"Oh. You don't?"

He shook his head as he played with his pencil. "I'm a single child. My...My mother died when I was a baby and... Well, I don't know if she was going to have another one."

Annabelle's eyes went wide and he placed a hand on her mouth, completely regretting to have asked him about the subject.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." She shook her head and stared at her hands, which were resting on her lap one on top of the other.

"No, it's okay. She's in a better place now," the young man assured her, but she could see the somewhat glint his eyes had a few moments ago was no longer there. She felt so bad for Hiccup. Sometimes she wished to glue her mouth shut.

"Um, well... Wow, it's already night time," Annabelle said as she looked outside, since the door didn't close at all when Hiccup came back. It took both of the teens off guard. Time went so fast in dreams. "I can't believe I'm not hungry at all."

"Me neither." Hiccup carried the bowls away. "I guess we should go to sleep, then. Let's go upstairs, there's a bed for you in my room."

Annabelle raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" He nodded. "Okay, then."

The teens climbed upstairs towards the second floor, and Annabelle noticed there were at least another two doors further down the hallway, but she ignored them and entered to Hiccup's room. It was a pretty simple room with a bed, a wooden desk against the wall with some papers on top of it, a chair, a small closet and a bureau besides the bed.

 _It's really cute_ , she thought with a smile. _Wait a minute, if I'm having the bed... Then where's Hiccup sleeping?_

She turned around, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. Three seconds later, he came in with a pillow and a blanket in hand, before laying them on the ground. Annabelle stared at the items before shrugging and kneeling. As the girl started to sit on the ground, Hiccup realized what she was doing.

"Annabelle, you're having the bed," he said.

"What? But, Hiccup it's your bed-"

"I know. But you're my guest; I can't let you sleep in the floor. Believe me, the bed is way better when you're living in a place where it snows nine months of the year and hails the other three."

"But-"

"It's not up for discussion." Realizing it sounded a little rude, Hiccup added, "Please. I'm used to the cold."

Annabelle bought her lip. She didn't want to be rude and say no, but she also didn't want to be treated special. She was a normal girl like any other, and this was not her room. She was just a guest, and she was not invalid. However, Hiccup was being so generous and kind to her.

"Um... Okay. Thank you," she said with a small timid smile, before she sat on the edge of the bed and took off her boots. Hiccup took off his vest, belt and boots and put them on the chair, before taking a candle from the desk and he lay on the ground. He was about to blow the light off, when Annabelle called his name.

"Yes?"

"I... I just wanted to thank you, for everything until now. You are so kind to me, and I owe it to you."

She sat up for a moment and their eyes met. Hiccup noticed she was being truly sincere, and the corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile.

"You're welcome. Good night, Annabelle."

"Good night, Hiccup."

As the boy blew off the candle, the only light on the room went out.


	3. Dragon raid

**AN:** **This is a shorter chapter than the last one, but I felt like it was a good way to end it. Updates are on Fridays. Thank you so much for the ones who are following this story! Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

 **P.S. Have you watched Race to the Edge Season 4? It's friggin' amazing! I can't wait for the next season!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

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3\. Dragon raid

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BERK, CHIEF'S HUT

Annabelle woke up to the sound of a roar. She gasped, bolting to sit up straight on her bed as she heard footsteps echoing through the walls of the house. It took her some seconds to realize it wasn't her room. So the dream didn't come to an end already. Annabelle's head snapped to the door when she heard someone was running through the hallway. She turned to were Hiccup slept last night and her eyebrows rose in surprise when she didn't find him there. Annabelle didn't waste more time and jolted out of bed, put on her boots, and ran downstairs to find Hiccup struggling to take a shield from the wall.

"Hiccup, what's going on?"

The young man snapped his head towards her direction when he heard the unfamiliar voice, and turning around as he caught sight of the girl he remembered the events from the day before.

"Quick! Help me with the shield!" he said as he pulled from the edge, but the shield wouldn't give. Annabelle frowned, but anyway ran besides him and started pulling the shield as well. It wasn't long before it finally fell off, and its weight along their strength made the teens land on their butts. As they sat up and groaned in pain, Hiccup left the shield at which Annabelle hadn't let go as he pulled himself to his feet and ran to the door.

"Don't let go of it!" he yelled.

"What?" Annabelle said in confusion as she watched the boy leave her in the floor with the shield in hand, which was heavier than it looked, and grab the door handle. "Where are you going?"

Hiccup ignored the question as he opened the door to find chaos outside everywhere even though it was so early in the morning. However, both of their attention was attracted to a creature with horns, sharp razor teeth, wings, and claws coming their way making Annabelle gasp in fear.

"What is that?!" she exclaimed, feeling her heart racing.

The creature opened its jaw and a low glow emitted from down its throat. Hiccup was quick enough to react and close the door as the creature shot a stream of fire towards them, but it ended burning up the door instead.

"Dragons," Hiccup said.

Within seconds, the roof of the house set on fire as well and Annabelle started to panic. She gripped the shield in fear and lifted it in the air with a strength she wouldn't believe she had. Staring at her hand in disbelief with wide eyes, she turned to Hiccup, who gestured her to follow him out. But it turned out, it was more difficult to run with the shield than just carrying it, and she had just proved it when she just ran outside. Annabelle sighed in relief, but her breath caught in her throat when she found the creature- the _dragon_ , staring at her with his big, yellow, reptilian eyes. Before a scream escaped her lips, she couldn't emit a sound when a Viking appeared out of nowhere and charged towards the dragon with a war cry. The Viking swung his sword at one of the nightmare's wings, but the dragon was faster and moved out of the way, as it lunged for the Viking, who rolled out of the way.

As they battled, Annabelle thanked the man in her head before she drew her attention towards Hiccup, and they broke into a sprint. Since Annabelle had no idea what was happening or where were they supposed to go, she followed Hiccup through the chaotic sea of Vikings.

"Hiccup!" a voice boomed through the air, and suddenly said boy was lifted by the collar of his shirt to prevent him from being burned alive. Annabelle followed Hiccup with her eyes and soon her gaze fell on the big man she saw the day before.

"What is he doing out again!?" Stoick demanded. When he saw no one was paying attention to him, he turned to the boy. "What you're doing out!? Get inside!"

He set down Hiccup on his feet and they shared a concerned look before they continued running.

THE FORGE

It took them a couple of minutes before Hiccup spotted the forge in the darkness and both teens were greeted by a man with interchangeable hands and a bad attitude.

"Ah lad, I was just sayin' how much I'd use yer help," the man said as Hiccup passed by, looking for a leather apron, "Yeh can start polishin' the maces an' sharpenin' the swords, alright? We've got work ta do, today."

"When do we not?" Hiccup answered with a raised eyebrow and a smile as he got to work.

Gobber could do nothing but laugh to himself. Just when he was going back to do his work, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and looked surprised when he saw a boy in the entrance of the forge who was admiring a shield. Gobber noticed that he was wearing exactly the same clothes as Hiccup, but his hair was longer. He frowned and turned to find Hiccup himself doing what he had told him, then turned to the boy with the shield and blinked a couple of times.

"Wha' the hell did I put on the chicken this mornin'?" he muttered to himself. "Hiccup, why didn't yeh tell me before 'at yeh had a twin?"

At this question the young apprentice paused for a moment and looked at Gobber with a confused expression. "What?"

The man merely pointed to the young boy with his prosthetic hand and Hiccup looked where he was pointing. It was then that he understood.

"I don't have a twin, Gobber, she's a friend," he said as he walked back to his place and continued to sharpen the swords, ignoring the look his master gave him. In that moment the boy turned around and Gobber realized that it was a girl actually, with a giant resemblance to Hiccup.

The girl stood in her place and stared wide-eyed at the man, not knowing what to say. There was a silence that filled the place until the blacksmith cleared his throat and regained the ability to speak.

"Who are yeh, lassie?"

"Um, hello sir... My name is Annabelle," the girl replied shyly. "I'm new here."

"Ya, in fact I do not remember seein' yeh before." The man nodded. "Where yeh come from?"

"Well, I come from-" Annabelle stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Hiccup making gestures behind Gobber. The young man shook his head and made as if he was cutting his neck with his hand, telling her not to reveal her true home by any reason. Fortunately, the brunette immediately understood his gestures and nodded slightly so the man wouldn't notice. "Um… I come from the Southern Islands."

Gobber raised an eyebrow at the location he was given, not expecting that answer, while Hiccup held a thumbs up. "The Southern Islands, I've never heard 'at name before," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his prosthetic hand. Luckily, Annabelle was able to respond at this.

"I imagined. The thing is that we are not on the maps and only a limited number of people know about our islands."

This seemed to convince the blacksmith. "Oh, wow. Yeh learn somethin' new every day," he muttered to himself, then said aloud, "Well, in 'at case I hope yeh enjoy yer stay."

"Thank you, sir," Annabelle replied with a small smile.

"Parties like this ain't seen every day," the man said, making a small gesture with his hand, pointing to the chaos and watching everything as if it were normal. Then he crouched under the table and took an old axe, before beginning to disarm it piece by piece to renew it. "But yeh need ta have fun every once in a while, especially Vikings. Ma apprentice wud know from experience, wud yeh not, Hiccup?"

Gobber looked at his apprentice, who at the mention of his name looked up. Absently, Hiccup continued to sharpen the current sword in hand, but he applied more force than needed, and suddenly there was a screech that could burst an eardrum. Hiccup screamed and removed the sword from the metal wheel, to see if any damage had been done. His eyes were planted on the edge of the blade, seeing a fracture barely visible to the naked eye, but as he ran a finger along its outline he could feel the little fissure. Hopefully no one would notice.

"What?" Hiccup asked, not having heard the conversation.

"C'mon Hiccup, there's still a lot to do here! Ma granny cud work faster than yeh an' she's a hundred an' four! Yeh wanna go oot there an' fight dragons? Yeh have ta be quick an' precise if yeh don't wanna be torn apart in yer place before yeh manage ta lift the sword!" Gobber hurried.

"I'm going! I'm going!" Hiccup replied as he ran for another sword waiting to be sharpened.

The young man took what Gobber said very seriously. You had to be quick and ready on the battlefield if you had to fight a dragon, since they were twice as fast and strong than you. A dragon might have already eaten you before you even noticed it was standing right behind you.

When both of the Vikings continued doing their work and minded their own business, Annabelle approached the young man.

"The meathead over there with attitude and thick accent is Gobber," Hiccup replied and lowered his voice so only she would be able to hear. "He's the blacksmith of the village. I've been his apprentice since I was little. Well, _littler_."

The brunette rose a smugly eyebrow at the young man who just rolled his eyes at the look he was given.

"That's kind of hard to believe. Especially from the boy whose father happens to be the chief of the tribe," she crossed her arms and stared at him.

"Yeah, that certainly gives a high expectation," Hiccup agreed. "The people would like their future leader to be strong, to have the odds in his favor, be good-looking, confident and fearless, someone who they would be proud to call their chief, when they receive a hiccup instead."

Annabelle frowned. "What do you mean?"

Hiccup sighed. "Well _…_ To begin with, I'm the smallest boy of my tribe, or at least my generation. That's why my name is Hiccup, because I'm a runt, and it's Viking tradition. I was born before time. I'm not like other guys who can easily carry a sword or a hammer. I'm not much of using my muscles; I'm more of using my brain. However, when it comes to Vikings it becomes useless."

Annabelle looked at him a little pitifully but at the same time with something else. "Just because your name means small, it doesn't mean you can't do great things. That depends on you, not on a name." Hiccup looked at her and she gave him a smile. "Besides, if I had a way of traveling in time fifteen years ago, I'd make my parents reconsider and force them to decide to give their daughter a single name, and not a name belonging to a demon."

Hiccup's smile was gone as soon as it came, and he blinked in confusion. "What?"

The sound of footsteps and young voices caught their attention. Annabelle whipped her head around and ran, leaning over the window, to find a group of teens running with buckets of water ready to put the fire off. Part of her had hoped to see her brother's gang by the window, not a group of Viking teenagers instead.

"Who are they?" she asked as she watched the go.

Annabelle heard footsteps coming closer. From the corner of her eye, she could see that Hiccup looked at those guys with the same eyes a kid looked to a superhero.

"Those are Fishlegs, Snotlout, the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and _…_ "

He suddenly trailed off when a blonde girl appeared as she ran to put the fire off and Annabelle couldn't help but feel a pinch of jealousy towards the last girl who put Hiccup in a trance. She snapped her fingers in front of his face, bringing the young man back to reality. Hiccup blinked a few times, before trying to go after them. However, a hook lifted him back inside before he could leave.

"Aw, come on! Let me out, please! I need to make my mark!" Hiccup pleaded, but Gobber only shook his head in disagreement.

"Oh, yeh've made plenty of marks," he pointed out as his apprentice turned around to face him, "All in the wron' places!"

"Please, two minutes." Hiccup looked at Gobber pleadingly. "I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date."

For a split second Annabelle felt in her gut once again the same sparkle of jealousy running through her body before shaking it off. She wasn't like that; it was simply not her personality. She was way better than that.

"Yeh can't lift a hammer; yeh can't swin' an axe _…_ " The blacksmith counted with his fingers, and then he grabbed a bola with his good hand. "Yeh can't even throw ane of these!"

A Viking suddenly snatched the item from him before throwing it at a hippo-like dragon and it came crashing to the ground. Annabelle winced, that one was quite a nasty fall even for a Dragon.

"Okay fine, but this will throw it for me," Hiccup said as he walked backwards to a sort of catapult, but this one could be converted into a cart so it could move around on wheels. As he laid a hand on it, it automatically launched a bola directed at Gobber, but the man ducked in time and it hit instead a Viking square in the face.

"Arrgghh!" he cried before falling to the ground.

"See? This right here's exactly wha' I'm talkin' aboot!"

"Mild calibration issue," Hiccup excused. Annabelle chuckled and Gobber shot her a look that shut her up before he turned back towards his apprentice.

"Hiccup, if yeh ever wanna go oot there ta fight dragons, yeh need ta stop all..." He gestured non-specifically at the boy. "...this."

"But you just gestured to all of me!" Hiccup complained with an incredulous look.

"Yes! That's it, stop bein' all of yeh!"

"What? That's wrong!" Annabelle intervened, even though it wasn't her business. "You're telling him to be someone who he's not instead of being himself! You can't ask somebody to change who they are. It's you who have to accept others just the way they are, because Hiccup is perfect like he is, no matter what he looks like."

Both of the men looked at her with dumbstruck expressions for a few moments and they snapped out of it when they heard a familiar sound that meant serious trouble.

"Night Fury, get down!" someone shouted.

Everyone looked for cover except for Hiccup who leaned over the window searching for the dragon that could easily blend into the night sky. Annabelle grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to the floor with her under the table. An explosion was heard and seconds later they found the catapult tower completely destroyed. The brunette's jaw dropped to the floor at the sight.

"What was _that_?" Annabelle asked in total shock, looking towards the young man.

A look of determination crossed Hiccup's face for a moment. She followed him as he walked away and saw Gobber readying himself for battle, changing the hammer-hand he had previously changed for a hook, now for an axe.

"Man the fort lads, they need me oot there," the blacksmith ordered, but before leaving he paused for a moment and turned towards the young teens. "Stay. Put. There." He pointed to Hiccup. "Yeh know wha' I mean."

After a war cry, within seconds he was gone. Annabelle turned to her side, to find an empty spot where Hiccup was just a moment ago. She raised her both eyebrows in surprise before it clicked on her mind and she ran to find the scrawny Viking taking the wheeled contraption away, however she managed to run ahead and block his path in time.

"Just where do you think you're going?" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Please, don't try to change my mind. I've been waiting my whole life for this moment." Hiccup said. "C'mon Annabelle, my life could change for better. I've got a chance now, and I'm not willing to let it go."

Annabelle was having an internal fight with herself. She could let Hiccup go and maybe he would actually do something that could change his life, or he could also get killed trying. But she had as well the choice of not letting him go.

 _And then what? Everything will stay the same and Hiccup would have achieved nothing in his life because you wanted him to be safe, while taking this chance his people would finally see him as the heir they were expecting and he would turn into the Viking he wants to be_.

Annabelle sighed after a long moment of silence. "You know, if I was your friend I would never let you do anything as crazy as this."

She walked towards the wall and grabbed a sword the size of her arm-length before she turned around and look at Hiccup.

"But, if I was your best friend..." she smiled. "I wouldn't let you do them alone. It's hunting season, and I say it's time to hunt down a Dragon."

Hiccup gave her a blank look, before smiling back.


	4. Parental responsibilities

**I'm sorry I posted the chapter this late; I was very tired when I came home after school and fell asleep. Besides, I had to finish the chapter. But here it goes. Now, answers to the reviews:**

 **MMM: First, Annabelle thinks this is a dream but she actually got to the Httyd world. Second, there is a way she can go back but she doesn't know that yet. Third, yes, Annabelle and Astrid will have something going between them since both have feelings for Hiccup. I hope it helps, thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Guest: I'm not substituting Astrid for my OC. I admit I kinda did that in the first version, I guess I just wanted something more than just Hiccstrid then, but after reading some other Httyd fics I decided it's up more to the characters than to me to decide about their love life. About RTTE season 4, I was indeed very excited about it, including all the Hiccstrid moments and everything. I can't wait for the next season, if there's another one. Thank you so much for your reviews!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

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4\. Parental responsibilities

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BERK

It took a few minutes to get through the ocean of Vikings and get to a clearing. Annabelle helped Hiccup to pull levers of the contraption and in less than a minute the weapon was ready to use. Both of them looked at the sky and listened carefully, waiting for the Night Fury to appear. The stars were bright and they contrasted with the pitch black sky, so if the dragon passed by, they would spot it with ease because it will cover some of the stars.

"Come on. Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at," Hiccup muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Annabelle was known for having a better sight of details than average people so this was a piece of cake for her. Suddenly, her eye seemed to catch a glimpse of a star which vanished for a split second and she spotted the dark dragon which could blend with ease in the night sky.

"I see it," she said.

"You see it?" Hiccup turned his head back up and scanned the sky with his eyes. "Where? I can't see anything in the dark."

"Just be ready. I'll tell you when to launch the trap," Annabelle replied. Hiccup did as told and got ready, waiting for the brunette to give the signal. She raised a hand in the air. "Hold... Hold..."

 _Ka-blam!_

Both of the teens watched as a purple fire ball was shot at the tower closest to them, and it collapsed. The light of the flames illuminated the Night Fury for a split second as it tried to vanish again, but it was enough for both teens to see it.

"Now!" Annabelle shouted, pointing her finger towards it.

 _Snap!_

Hiccup launched the bola and in the process he was knocked off his feet by the force of the catapult. As he pulled himself to his knees, the two of them watched as something was thrown off the air and fell to the woods with an ear-piercing screech.

"Oh, I hit it?" The teens looked at each other in shock before their lips spread into a smile and they both realized what had just happened. "Oh my Gods, I really hit it! I can't believe it, ha ha!"

"Yes, you did it Hiccup!" Annabelle exclaimed as both teens laughed in excitement and embraced in a hug. Hiccup was so excited that he somehow managed to spin the girl around for a few seconds even with the little strength he had, taking both of them by surprise as they looked at each other with wide eyes before he set her down. Maybe it was the adrenaline.

"This fixes everything! Did anybody else see that?!" Hiccup cried, before feeling a breath on is neck that sent a shiver running down his spine. He closed his eyes and turned around, pleading uselessly in his head not to find an angry Monstrous Nightmare behind him, which was exactly what he found.

"I guess you did," he replied sarcastically.

The Dragon growled, before snapping his jaws at the young man. Annabelle moved Hiccup out of the way in time and they broke into a sprint downhill, while they screamed at the top of their lungs with the Nightmare hot on their tails.

They ran through the plaza almost tripping over their own feet, desperately looking for a shelter. Being their only option, they hid behind a pole as the Nightmare shot a stream of fire at them. Annabelle yelped as her arms almost touched the fire, and she could feel it was as hot as the sun itself.

Taking deep breathes, they both took a peek over their hiding place, but there was no sign of the Dragon. She sighed in relief, but screamed when she turned around and found it just behind her, staring intensely at the girl with his big yellowish reptilian eyes. Frozen in place, she watched the Dragon open his jaw full of razor sharp teeth and braced herself for what was coming.

But it never came.

Annabelle opened one eye and instead of seeing the Dragon ready to finish her off, she gasped as Stoick fought it. He punched the Dragon several times before it shrieked in fear and finally flew away.

As the Chief turned around, the pole which had been burnt off snapped and fell to the floor. The head of the torch went rolling down the village, accidentally burning a trap and freeing some Nadders recently captured which flew away with most of the sheep in their paws.

Hiccup caught the glare his father was giving him from the corner of his eye and looked down.

"Sorry, Dad," he apologized sheepishly, watching as the Dragons left with all the storage the village had for the winter. When he felt all the Viking's eyes on him, he added, "Okay, but I hit a Night Fury."

Stoick having enough already, grabbed the young man from the collar of his shirt and dragged him away.

"It's not like the last few times, Dad," Hiccup continued, Annabelle wondering if this had happened before, "I really actually hit it! You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. If you want me to prove it, Annabelle was with me. I swear it. She saw it too! It went down just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party out there, and-"

"STOP!" Stoick interrupted. "Just, stop. Every time you step out, disaster follows. Can you not see I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here and I have an entire village to feed."

"Well, between you and me the village could do with a little less feeding, don't you think?" Hiccup said, and suddenly all the Vikings went self-concerning about their bodies. Annabelle chuckled.

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup!" Stoick yelled. "Why can't you follow the simplest of orders?"

"I just can't help myself," Hiccup said. "I see a Dragon, I have to just... Kill it. It's who I am, Dad."

Stoick sighed and put a hand on his forehead, before shaking his head. "You're many things Hiccup, but a dragon killer is not one of them. Get back to the house." Hiccup hung his head, knowing his father would never listen to him.

His father turned towards the blacksmith. "Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up."

Annabelle was more than openmouthed. Stoick talked like it was Hiccup's fault the Dragons raided the village! What was wrong with that man? How could he put his job before his own son, his own family left?

Before she could say anything though, he walked away with a group of Vikings. She sighed, making a mental note to talk to him later and get some sense into the man. Turning around, she followed Gobber and Hiccup back to the house. Hopefully things couldn't get any worse.

As if to prove her wrong, she noticed the group of teens from earlier making fun out of Hiccup as he passed by and couldn't help the burning rage that shot up from inside her. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

Deciding enough was enough, as she passed by as well she took the liberty to elbow one of the twins and stomp her foot into another guy with black hair, ignoring on purpose their cries and the glares she received. They had it well deserved.

Looking back up, she stayed behind as she noticed Hiccup and Gobber having an argument.

"I really did hit one," Hiccup insisted.

"Sure Hiccup." Gobber nodded, but it was clear he didn't believe him either. Was it that hard to believe? She saw it with her own eyes!

 _Well, considering he's constantly messing up and given his size, it's pretty hard to believe,_ a voice in her head pointed out.

Annabelle paused for a moment realizing that hadn't been a thought of her own. And to be honest, it sounded just as mean as Stoick had been towards Hiccup. Was it was she really thought of him? She shook her head, deciding it was best to leave those thoughts aside. It wasn't going to help her in any way.

"He never listens." Hiccup's voice brought her back to reality.

"I'd guess it runs in the family." Gobber shrugged.

"A-and when he does, it's always with this... disappointed scowl, like someone's skimped on the meat in his sandwich." Hiccup turned around and started to make an impersonation of his father. "'Excuse me barmaid, I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this here's a talking fishbone!'"

Annabelle covered her mouth, trying to stiffen her giggles. She had to admit that still in the situation they were in, that was very funny.

"Yeh're thinkin' aboot this all wron'," Gobber said. "It's not so much aboot wha' yeh look like, it's the inside 'at he can't stand."

Both teens gave him incredulous looks.

"Thank you for summing that up," Hiccup replied sarcastically.

"Look, the point is: stop tryin' so hard to be someone yeh're not."

 _Why didn't you tell him that about an hour ago?_ Annabelle deadpanned.

Hiccup sighed. He opened the door of his house, and Annabelle tilted her head in confusion recalling it had supposedly being burned down by a Dragon. Was the house fireproof or something, or did someone come and fix it while they were gone?

"I just want to be one of you guys." Hiccup said.

She looked at him with sad eyes as he entered the house. She knew the feeling, she knew how it felt to wish she was just like the others kids back home. For some reason they always had excluded her, save for the small group of girls that were her best friends.

But what she'd seen of Hiccup until now made her think the ones who were wrong were the Vikings, not him. Hiccup was a guy with a good heart who didn't fit in well between all the others, who had such strong arms and big beards. However Annabelle knew that if they were so good-looking on the outside, they were completely rotten on the inside.

She sighed. "Way to cheer up the mood Gobber."

The blacksmith turned to the girl. "Wha'? I tried."

"Sure you did." Annabelle shook her head with a roll eye. "You gave Hiccup just what he needed. You were _so supportive_ with him."

Gobber looked to the ground. "Well... Who says I was good at this? I try to do wha' I can, but I'm better at sharpenin' swords an' axes. At words, not so much."

"Yeah that's alright, but that won't help Hiccup too much. He already feels bad because what his father told him, and now he feels worse because of what you told him," she explained. "Maybe you were trying to help, but do you really know how did Hiccup feel?"

"Em... I... I guess not."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "See? You can't just blurt things out to him, because he only has you to rely on. I wouldn't count Stoick as someone he could rely on, in my opinion. Hadn't you noticed the way Hiccup looks at you?"

Gobber gripped his prosthetic with his good hand as he remembered all the past years Hiccup had been helping him on the workshop. The boy had started when he was about... five?

The blacksmith smiled. He remembered the curious look in his apprentice's eyes when he was just a lad. He remembered how Hiccup would struggle to lift the slightest of tools because he wanted to help. He remembered the wonder in the lad's expression when they finished a sword or an axe, and how he would then tell him to go back to work. Gobber never really appreciated it until now.

Thanks to Annabelle's smile, the blacksmith realized he had stood quietly for a long while. He cleared his throat, thinking that a Viking wasn't supposed to be so soft before an outsider.

"Wha' woold yeh know? Yeh weren't there, an' yeh're not like him. Nobody's like him."

Annabelle felt the drastic change in the mood and quickly retracted her hand. "You're right. I wasn't there, but even if I've known Hiccup for just a day, I feel like he's different from others in his own way, just like he's different from other guys his age. Am I wrong?"

Gobber couldn't argue to that. If he was honest, Hiccup wasn't like anything he had ever seen. Except for Valka, of course. Gobber wouldn't admit it out loud, but the lad seemed to be just as smart as a full-grown Viking, maybe even smarter.

"...aye." He agreed after a long silence. "He's a natural with the tools at the workshop, an' he's always inventin' weird creations one woold say 'at are oot of this world. Sometimes even I coold not tell whether he was insane." He chuckled softly.

Annabelle smiled. Now they were getting somewhere. "I can imagine," she said. "I mean, he built all by himself the strange catapult from earlier, didn't he? Although leaving that aside, he also seems to take things more personally than others, considering the talk with his father. They have a tough father-son relationship, huh?"

"Yeh have no idea." Gobber nodded. Realizing what the girl said, he turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Yeh know, I can't believe yeh an' Hiccup aren't siblin's. Everythin' yeh said so far it's pretty much as the truth."

She rubbed her arm and gave a shy smile. "I just pay close attention to things; it's not really big deal."

Gobber looked back at the house and turned to leave. "I better be goin'. The chief's gonna flip the tables at the Great Hall wonderin' wha' is takin' me so lon' if I'm not there in a few minutes."

He started to walk away, until a thought came to mind and he turned around to the girl. "Um... woold yeh keep an eye on the lad? Maybe I can talk to him later."

Anna nodded. "Sure thing."

Gobber nodded back and walked away. When he was out of sight, Annabelle entered the house and closed the door behind her, thinking she had done something right. It took her three seconds to notice how quiet the house was, which was weird considering there were two people here.

"Hiccup?" she called. After looking around and noticing the boy wasn't there, she started making her way towards the stairs and to the second floor. "Hiccup, where are you?" she asked, hoping to get an answer.

The girl opened the door to Hiccup's room but the young man wasn't there either. Panic gripped her heart as she entered the room and removed the blankets from the bed to confirm he was gone.

"Hiccup?!" Annabelle called once again as she ran downstairs almost tripping over her own feet. There was silence. She looked frantically around the room and she had no idea of how in the green Earth she missed the back door of the house standing just a few feet in front of it. She ran outside and paused a moment to think.

 _If I were Hiccup, where would I go and what would I do?_

Thirteen seconds later she was running headed straight to the woods as if her life depended on it.

 _Try to find the Night Fury_.


	5. Night Fury

**The moment of the day you all have been waiting for is here! And so is a new chapter, hooray! Thanks for so many favs, follows, and reviews even when this is just the beginning. Guys, you own a place in my heart :3 ...now, answers to the reviews:**

 **MMM: The chapter awaits you! This one answers your questions quite by itself so, enjoy!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

5\. Night Fury

* * *

BERK, THE FOREST

Of course Hiccup had to go get the Night Fury on his own. Why did she think he would stay at home?

Annabelle ran through the woods, not really knowing where she was going. She didn't know the Berk forest but that was not going to stop her. Constantly she thought: What if something happens to Hiccup and she does not arrive in time? What if he encounters another dragon and roasts him alive? What if it's too late?

No, it couldn't be too late, it was not a possibility. She had to find Hiccup and soon.

After a while, Annabelle stopped running so she could have a little break. She took a deep breath, leaning down and resting her hands on her knees. She was exhausted; it had been so long since she had run like this. When she finally felt her heart beat normally, a disturbing sound surprised her.

 ** _ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!_**

Her heart skipped a beat. She felt out of nowhere a huge amount of adrenaline run through her body and her legs carried her to where the sound came from in just a matter of seconds. Climbing a small hill, she stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of her.

Hiccup was beneath the claws of a mighty dragon, the Night Fury. She looked in detail at this majestic dragon, whose body was covered in scales as black as the night itself. It owned a pair of elegant bat wings that sprang from its back, and its eyes were a toxic green that could penetrate her soul.

It was a beautiful dragon, and at the same time very dangerous. As much as Annabelle wanted to continue contemplating this creature, if she didn't act quickly Hiccup would be history.

"You overgrown lizard!" she called, catching the dragon's attention, "Leave him alone at once! You hear me?!"

The Dragon roared angrily in response, clearly offended. He was one of the most powerful Dragons, as if a simple human could tell him what to do. However, he left the boy alone. Annabelle sighed in relief, until she realized that the Night Fury was now watching her. Her knees started to wobble and a shiver ran down her spine as the Dragon approached her. She barely had time to register what was happening, when the Night Fury launched at her and before she knew it, she was on the ground with the Dragon on top of her.

 **"Give me one good reason not to end you right now!"**

The girl's breath caught on her throat and her eyes widened even more than they already were.

"What?" she said breathlessly.

The Night Fury suddenly sniffed the air and shook his head in confusion, backing away.

 **"It's strange... Your scent is like one of a Dragon... Who are you?"**

Annabelle just stared at the creature completely speechless, unable to do anything. The only thing she knew was that she found herself lost in the Dragon's eyes, seeing more than they were. Back home, they say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and it was true. She could see someone who was afraid, alone, and in need of a friend.

And then she didn't feel so afraid anymore.

The brunette raised a hand in the air in a weak attempt to pet the Dragon. The Night Fury suddenly shrieked in pain making her flinch away. Turning her head to the side, she saw Hiccup with a knife in hand and a new wound on the Dragon's tail from where blood poured down. Angry, the Dragon shoved Hiccup away and turned his attention back to the girl. Annabelle braced herself as the Night Fury opened his mouth.

 **"GO AWAY!"** he roared, before he flew away somewhat clumsily. In fact, he hit some objects in his way before he went out of sight.

Annabelle felt her heart racing after the near-death experience.

 _What in the world just happened?!_

"Annabelle!" Hiccup called as he rushed towards the brunette, who was trying to get air to her lungs by deep breathes. He knelt beside her, and grabbed her arms to stop her from shaking. "Are you okay, are you hurt?" he asked, examining her from head to toe for any injuries, but she seemed fine.

Annabelle barely heard Hiccup's questions before everything went black.

She slumped in the young man's arms, who gripped her tightly to prevent her from hitting the ground. Hiccup looked at her in surprise for a moment before holding her wrist and checking her pulse. It was normal, so probably she passed out from the good scare she received. But to be honest, all of this had scared him as well. He stayed like that for some minutes deciding what to do, before he stood up with the girl on his arms and started walking back to the house.

More less forty minutes later, Hiccup felt Annabelle stirring and groaning. He paused and sat on the ground, as the girl woke up and opened her eyelids, blinking several times before her eyes adjusted to her surroundings.

"Hiccup?"

"How are you feeling?" He said.

Annabelle rubbed her eyes. "Fine... I think. What happened?"

"Um well... Both of Dragon found the us and... Wait, no, it's the other way around. When I saw the Dragon stabbed- no, that was later." Hiccup started to get nervous as he stuttered. "We f-found it the Fury... Drown if rage wit... wait, what? Oh Gods." Hiccup buried his face in his hands.

"Just take it easy. Breathe in. No pressure."

He took a deep breath in, and said it all at once.

"We found the Dragon."

Annabelle's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"What?"

"Yeah..." Hiccup nodded scratching his neck awkwardly, until a frown crossed his face. "Wait, you don't remember?"

Annabelle shook her head, until suddenly images started to flash on her mind. Running through the woods, a roar, finding Hiccup and the Night Fury, the Dragon staring at her, a voice...

A voice?

Even if the memories were a bit blurry, she did remember a voice aside her own. It was a male teenage voice, but it wasn't Hiccup's. It was deeper. She remembered it belonged to the Dragon itself. But that's impossible! Dragons don't talk. Maybe it was just her imagination playing with her.

"Oh, the Dragon, of course. Hold on, I thought we had shot it down." Annabelle noted.

The young man tensed, though he wondered why. She was his friend, and she was there when it happened... Well, she arrived a few seconds later actually, but still... At least he could try to tell her, what did he have to lose?

"Yeah, we did. When I found him he was all tied up. I thought he was dead, until I saw him breathing and..." He paused, taking a deep breath and preparing himself for what was coming. Annabelle was hearing every word with full attention. "I readied myself to finish him, but I couldn't."

"Why not?" she asked slightly confused and surprised too. She looked at Hiccup expectantly. He gulped as he stared down at his hands.

"Because I saw myself in him," Hiccup answered. "When I looked into his eyes, I realized that there is more to a look than anyone believes. With a look you can say a thousand words; you can express yourself in a thousand ways. But when I saw him, it was as if I were looking at myself in a mirror. I… I can't kill Dragons; they're just as innocent as we are! There is much more than we know about them, I'm sure, and if we took the time to understand them this war could finally come to an end. After so many years, I've decided to put an end to this."

Annabelle stared at him openmouthed. Her head was spinning over and over around one thought: Hiccup wanted to end this war. Not only did he want, he was more than determined; He was _going_ to end the war. But, how did he plan to do it himself, how could he bring peace to the people of Berk?

"Hiccup, do you realize what you're saying? That's almost impossible to achieve, and there is much less chance of doing so if you try to get it by yourself. I understand what you're trying to say and believe me that I also want the same thing as you, but you need to understand the size and depth of this situation."

"Look, I know this sounds crazy, but if I don't try to do something after what just happened, then who will? How long will it be until someone thinks like me and tries? Don't you think that someone else before me didn't do anything hoping I would? If I let go, it'd be only postponed for a longer time. I don't want to wait for someone else; I already know what has to be done."

Annabelle had to admit that Hiccup was right. "I think I'm beginning to understand now. You're right, this war must stop. So how do you plan to do it?"

Hiccup paled. That was a good question; actually he had no idea where to start.

"Umm, well… I haven't even thought about it, but I'm sure I'll think of something."

"You see, this is what I meant. A war can't be taken lightly, Hiccup. It's more than just thinking and doing. It requires time and planning. Besides, we don't even know what we're up against and you don't have any army gathered."

Hiccup sighed. "Wow, this is a lot harder than it looks. I don't know what was I thinking, but I still think we should try. We have nothing to lose, right?"

Annabelle considered his words.

"Maybe you're right, it would not hurt to try and see what comes out of this. I guess we can start with small changes in everyday things, although I think it's not going to be that simple. You have my support."

He smiled. "Great, now we just have to decide what to do first."

"Maybe you could tell your dad and try to convince him of what we talked about," Annabelle suggested.

Hiccup shook his head. "No, he would think I've gone mad. But I could tell him that I'm going to listen to him and focus on other things, like helping Gobber in the smithy."

Annabelle placed a hand on her chin. "That might work. But I think we should need to try something else."

"Mm… How much do you know about dragons?" Hiccup asked.

"Not much, in fact almost nothing." Annabelle frowned, wondering where was he going with this.

"Maybe we could look for information on dragons of all kinds. What they eat, their anatomy, their classifications, everything we can know about them."

"It sounds good, but, where would we find so much information?"

"In the Great Hall, there's a book called the Dragon Manual, sure there will be something that can be useful."

Annabelle smiled. "Alright, let's do it."

Hiccup smiled back and they stood up from the ground and dusted off their clothes. "Thanks for helping me. I-I know all this idea sounds pretty crazy."

She winked at him as they started to walk away. "It's what best friends do. They don't let you do crazy things alone."

* * *

CHIEF'S HUT

It was almost night time by the time they returned to the house. As they entered through the back door which was open, just as they left it, they stopped dead in their tracks when they found Stoick the Vast already there, oblivious to their presence. The teens shared a concerned look, before they made their way quietly towards the stairs.

"Hiccup," Stoick said perking up, still his back facing the teens.

"Dad." Both teenagers froze in place with a guilty expression, as if they had been doing something illegal. They looked at each other, Hiccup asked with the look to do and Annabelle pointing to his father, as if suggesting to tell him what they discussed. Hiccup did not want to, but he knew his father would find out sooner or later. "I… I have to talk to you."

Stoick clasped his hand and turned around. "I have to speak with you as well, son."

Both of them took a deep breath and talked at the same time: "I decided I don't want to fight Dragons." "I think it's time for you to learn to fight Dragons." Both of them blinked and turned at each other. "What?"

Annabelle face palmed from the background. Way to start a conversation.

"You go first." Stoick offered.

"No, you go first," Hiccup replied.

"Alright, you get your wish. Dragon Training, you two start in the morning."

The teenagers were speechless when they heard those words. Did he say that they would go to Dragon Training, both of them? Both of them had an expression of concern on their faces. After all they had agreed, to be clear what to do, this happens. Lucky them, it even looked like someone was making fun of them.

"Oh man, I should've gone first," Hiccup said realizing his mistake, "Because I was thinking: we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough bread-making Vikings? Or small home repair Vikings?"

"You'll need this." Stoick handed Hiccup a single-bladed axe and the latter stumbled back until he was off the stairs. Annabelle watched as he struggled to lift it from the ground, thinking that in his place she would be probably the same.

"I don't want to fight Dragons," Hiccup said.

Stoick laughed. "Come on, yes you do."

"Rephrase: Dad, I can't kill Dragons."

"Oh, but you will kill Dragons."

"No, I'm really super extra sure that I won't," Hiccup insisted but Stoick ignored him.

"It's time Hiccup," the Chief said as he walked towards his son, the young man's pleas falling on deaf ears.

"Can you not hear me?!" Hiccup cried desperately.

"This is serious son!" Stoick yelled in frustration, rearranging his son's posture. Annabelle just glared at the man. "When you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you. What means you walk like us, you talk like us, you think like us. No more of... This _._ "

"You just gestured to all of me," Hiccup said sarcastically.

"Do we have a deal?"

"This conversation is feeling very one-sided."

" _Deal?_ " Stoick pressured, and Annabelle's glare towards him intensified.

Hiccup sighed, knowing it was a no-win argument. "Deal."

"That includes you as well, young lady." Stoick turned towards Annabelle who was taken aback at this. "I talked with the Viking Council 'bout you," the Chief said, and the brunette couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in surprise and hold her hands nervously, "And after having a deep discussion with 'em, this is what we decided: you'll take the Dragon Training Course too, with the other recruits. The Council stated that if you're chosen the best of the class, you can stay in Berk." As Stoick said this he looked at Hiccup from the corner of his eye, wishing in secret for his son to be the best.

"What if I'm not?" Annabelle dared to ask, fearfully.

"Otherwise, I'll make sure to contact a Viking family from one of the tribes we're allies with, so they can take care 'bout you."

As the words went out from Stoick's lips, the color drained away from the girl's face, like if she had seen a ghost. Her eyes shook as the words echoed in her head.

"So it's a deal?"

 _Of course not!_ the voice in her head screamed. But she really didn't have a choice. It was like having an argument with her mother.

"Um... Yes," she answered quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hiccup watched speechless at the girl who he had met a couple of days ago, she seemed so quiet, like a candle whose light had just been blow off.

"Good," Stoick said satisfied with the answer. "Train hard, both of you. I'll be back. Probably." He carried a bag over his shoulder, put on his helmet, and left both of the teens.

"And we'll be here... Maybe." Hiccup said after Stoick was gone. He turned towards Annabelle. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked when he saw her staring sadly at the floor.

She shook her head, her free hair bouncing to the sides.

"Do you realize what just happened?" she asked without looking at him, "We're going to Dragon Training. Training to kill Dragons, and after everything that happened... On top of that, there's a possibility that I could... that maybe... Oh God, it's too much pressure," she whispered, placing her hands on each side of her head.

Hiccup opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. His mind was in blank. He had no idea how to comfort her but felt obliged to, since Annabelle had been encouraging him and supporting him all the time they've known each other, and she arrived two days ago. Usually no one cared about him. But she was different... Just like him.

The only thing Hiccup could think of, was doing something kind of awkward for both of them but he had no other ideas. He walked to Annabelle and wrapped his arms cautiously around her, placing his hands on her back. He felt her tense up but eventually relax in his embrace and accept the hug.

"Why did you do that?" she asked when they broke apart.

Hiccup scratched the back of his neck. "I just... Thought you needed a hug," he replied with a bit of doubt on his voice.

Annabelle narrowed her eyes, before a sad smile spread on her lips.

"Thanks Hiccup. I wasn't really expecting you to act so brotherly towards me."

Hiccup blinked. "Really?"

Annabelle nodded. "It's what brothers do, and sisters. They are always there for each other, no matter what. You would be a great brother if you had any siblings," she paused, "What am I saying? You _are_ a great brother, you do have a sister!"

Hiccup stared at her with a puzzled expression, thinking he was an only child and he had no siblings. Until Annabelle winked at him and he got what she meant.

"Oh. Why, thank you," he said smiling back, before letting out a yawn. "Man, I think we should go to bed. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow." He made his way to the stairs and stood up next to them, bowing and extending out an arm towards Annabelle. "After you, sister."

She giggled at the way Hiccup acted, and the young man liked to see her happy. "Thank you, brother," she said grabbing the ends of her shirt and doing a reverence, as she accepted his hand. Both of them tried to hold serious expressions for a few seconds before they burst out laughing and they went upstairs to their room.


	6. Gronckle

**Oh my God. Two weeks without an update. I'm sorry guys, I had something called Writer's Block for over the past few days, but I decided to keep writing until suddenly it was gone. So here it is. I hope you like the chapter! Remember, reviews are always greatly appreciated.**

 **Btw, I've noticed that my original version of HTLAM is getting more and more favs and follows as the days go by, and I could not really believe it at first. Thank you so, SO much you guys. Have a free cookie all of you (::)**

* * *

6\. Gronckle

* * *

BERK

DRAGON TRAINING, DAY 1

Hiccup and Annabelle ran through the town as fast as their legs could carry them, although running with an axe and a sword in hand was easier said than done. They were trying to avoid any obstacle in their way, constantly using shortcuts to save time. It turned out both had overslept because of the events from the day before, and now they were pretty late to their first class of Dragon Training. Way to start the day.

If she was honest, Annabelle had expected to wake up this morning from the 'dream' already, even though she didn't want to admit it. She was having a great time in here and she had found a really good friend, but deep inside she had expected to have woken up to the sound of her alarm beeping, telling her to get ready so she would take a flight to Burgess.

She waited a whole month for that moment since the day she was given a letter on her Ice Skating Academy. Annabelle couldn't help but smile at the memory. She remembered that day like if it was yesterday. She happened to be in the dresser just after the practice when the teacher handed to her the letter in person. Annabelle couldn't believe she had been chosen to go to a national competition among other four people, when there were between eighty and one hundred students in the Academy. Since then, she had been practicing almost daily from two to almost five hours after school to make sure she did excellent.

So when she felt Hiccup shaking her shoulders to wake her up, she had to blink away the small pools of water in her eyes from falling. Instead, she put on her best face, tying her brown shoulder-length hair into a high ponytail so she could have a clear view. Today was going to be a great day, she decided, even if it was against her will.

"Hurry up!" Hiccup called over his shoulder, looking for a brief moment to make sure Annabelle was running behind him.

"I'm just behind you!" she called back, trying to keep up. Something she could tell was that she was not as fast as Hiccup, and yesterday she had quite a distance from the house to the forest where they found the Night Fury. Annabelle deduced it was the adrenaline.

To their luck, they saw the other recruits - weapons in hand - just entering the arena as Gobber lifted the entrance bars for them. They sighed in relief and stopped running at once when they were close. Quietly, they walked behind the group as they heard what the recruits were saying.

"I hope I get some serious burns!" one of the twins exclaimed with excitement, at whom Annabelle raised an eyebrow. From what she could tell by experience, fire wasn't exactly something that you would want to play with. It was powerful, dangerous, destructive, and killer. It wasn't something nice.

His twin nodded. "I'm going for some mauling. Like, on my shoulder or lower back."

Annabelle made a weird face, having trouble to believe that girl really wanted to have some bruises on her back and be in so much pain that it would be killing her. Why couldn't they just shut their mouths instead of saying nonsense just to say something 'cool'?

"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it," another girl replied, and Annabelle just rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah," she said, unable of stopping herself, "I'm dying of laughter right now. Let's just get ourselves killed. Get the Dragons in here, have some fun while we get hurt, and have a slow and painful death." In confusion, the teens turned towards the two last recruits from the group. "That would be _really_ nice, wouldn't it be Hiccup?"

Hiccup chuckled, flashing a small sarcastic grin. "Oh, yeah. No kidding, right?" he played along, "Pain. Love it."

"Oh, great," Tuffnut complained, deadpanning as he realized who was it, "Who let him in?"

He shrugged dismissively. "Oh, you know. Just Gobber."

A boy with sleek hair frowned at his comment. "Why would he let someone as useless as you to be in Dragon Training?" he asked pointing a thumb towards Hiccup. Before he could answer, Snotlout's eyes caught sight of someone else. The Jorgenson boy knitted his eyebrows together as he asked, "And who's that?"

"For your information, idiot, I have a name," Annabelle practically spat at him, who backed his face away from her as she leaned forward until their faces were less than a foot away, "My name's Annabelle. And I'm very proud of my name, thank you very much, just before you decide to open that stupid mouth of yours," she said glaring at the rest of the recruits, even if she wasn't as proud as she told them.

"Wait just a bloody second," Snotlout said, giving a few steps back to get some space between himself and the crazy girl in front of him, "You're that dumb kid who stomped on my foot yesterday!"

Annabelle only rolled her eyes. "Wow, took you this long to decipher it."

"Wait, wait, wait," Tuffnut said, walking towards her. "That was you?" He held his stomach like he had just been punched. "Wow, you hit hard. I mean, my sister hits hard, but you hit harder." He then looked down and noticed the sword she was holding. "Oh, that sword looks pretty sharp. Is it sharp? Because I _love_ sharp things."

Annabelle raised her hand which held a long, beautiful shining sword, which was given to her this morning. Hiccup's idea. She swung it a few times, the blade shining in every swing with the sunlight as she played with it.

"It's sharp enough to make you bleed," she stated. Astrid just rolled her eyes.

"Let's get started!" Gobber called, shifting the young teens' attention to him. "First thin' yeh lot need to know: once yeh're on the battlefield words will only get yeh killed so yeh'd all be dead by now. Why don't yeh keep wha' yeh have to say fer later an' focus on this? There's no place here for cowards, no cryin' babies needed fer mommy, so anyone who wants to leave or feels the least of fear right now can withdraw. I won't ask again."

No one moved. They all looked at each other, some in disgust and others glaring, but no one stepped back. Instead, they stepped forward and wagered their weapons.

"I guess yeh've made up yer mind," Gobber noticed. "If no one has anythin' to say, I'll name the Dragons yeh will be trainin' with."

The recruits formed a line as Gobber walked through the cell doors, from which came all kinds of sounds belonging to the beasts inside the cages, euphoric to get out. "Yeh'd probably already know these beasts, like the Deadly Nadder..."

Automatically, the husky guy of the group known as Fishlegs started mumbling under his breath.

"Speed eight, armor sixteen."

Hiccup and Annabelle looked back and forth between him and Gobber as the blacksmith kept naming the Dragons and Fishlegs kept mumbling under his breath.

"...the Hideous Zippleback..."

"Plus eleven stealth, times two."

"...the Monstrous Nightmare..."

"Firepower, fifteen."

"...the Terrible Terror..."

"Attack eight, venom twelve."

"...the Timberjack..."

"Shot limit, eight."

"Can yeh stop 'at!?" Gobber yelled, before recomposing and flashing a smirk. Very slowly, he walked towards one of the pens and placed his good hand on the lever that opened the doors of the cell. Annabelle and Hiccup were the first ones to notice this, and shared a concerned look. "...and the Gronckle," the blacksmith finished.

"Jaw strength, eight," Fishlegs whispered, eyeing the pair. Annabelle turned to Hiccup with a worried expression.

"Um, would you suppose it is a bad time to withdraw now?"

"Uh, I suppose it is." Hiccup stated, backing away from the gates and holding his axe with both hands. Annabelle followed him as she grabbed the hilt of her sword with both hands, never taking her eyes off from the pen.

"Uh, what are they doing?" Tuffnut asked with a raised eyebrow as he gestured at the pair. Snotlout looked how close they were to the exit, even though it was closed, and smirked.

"Are they withdrawing!? Ha! Cowards!" he called, placing a hand aside his mouth so his voice would reach further. "So much for being the heir of the tribe."

While the others laughed, Fishlegs looked at them wondering what were they doing. The gates were closed, but it looked like they were backing away from something. The question was... From what? The Dragons were still inside their pens. Suddenly his eyes widened as realization struck him. _Unless_...

"Um, guys?"

"What now Fishface?" Snotlout groaned.

"I-I think that... May-maybe we should take some cover," Fishlegs suggested, as he started to back away. Gobber's smirk went even wider as he pulled the lever down.

Snotlout looked at the tallest recruit with a frown, oblivious to the actions of the blacksmith. "What's the matter? Are you chicken?" he mocked, making chicken sounds and moving his arms up and down like the wings of said bird while the twins laughed their heads off.

"I would listen to him if I were you," Hiccup warned as he saw the doors of the Gronkle's pen opening.

"Why in the name of Thor would I want to do that?" Snotlout demanded. "No, wrong question, why would I even listen to you, Useless?"

Before anyone could say anything, the Dragon came bursting out of its pen with a bang, startling all of the teens as they turned in their heels to face it.

"What the Hell is that!?" Annabelle asked, having completely forgotten what Dragon they were facing even though Gobber had told them just moments ago.

"That would be a Gronckle!" Fishlegs elaborated from the other side of the arena.

"Today's aboot survival!" Gobber stated, watching from his spot all the teens running for their lives, "If yeh get blasted, yeh're dead!"

The recruits quickly scattered and started running all around the arena trying to lose the Dragon, as the Gronckle slammed into a wall and fell to the ground. However, it quickly recovered and start eating a few rocks, which acted as fuel for its firepower.

"Quick! Name the first thin' yeh're gonna need when facin' a Dragon!" Gobber yelled, as the Dragon shot to the sky once again, "NOW!"

"A doctor!?" Hiccup guessed.

"Uh, plus five speed!?" Fishlegs shouted.

"A shield!" another voice said.

"'Ats right, Astrid," Gobber nodded. "A shield! Now, go! The most importan' piece of equipmen' is yer shield. If yeh have to choose between a weapon or a shield, take the shield!"

All of the teens went running towards different points of the arena, where several wooden shields were laying. While four of the recruits managed to get a shield just fine, Hiccup struggled to grab his own with a hand and hold his ace with the other. Noting this, Gobber walked over to the boy and lifted the shield for him, before sending him running to the center of the arena. The weight of the shield caused Hiccup to stumble towards Annabelle as he collided with her and their shields clanged.

"I would suggest you to leave the axe aside!" Annabelle said as they got separated.

"I can't do that, Dad gave it to me!" Hiccup replied.

"Hiccup, you can barely lift one thing at a time! Let go of the axe!"

Meanwhile, the twins had accidentally chosen the same shield and had started a tug-of-war over it.

"Hey, get your dirty hands off my shield!" Tuffnut yelled.

"I grabbed it first! You get another one, there's like a million shields!" Ruffnut retorted.

"Well, why don't you take that one!?" said Tuffnut, gesturing to another shield, "It has a flower. Girls like flowers, right?"

Ruffnut yanked the shield from her brother's hands and banged it on Tuffnut's head. "Oops. Now this one has blood on it."

Unfortunately, they were too focused on getting the item from the hands of each other they didn't notice the Gronckle fly over them until it blasted them. The ball of fire hit the shield breaking it to pieces as the twins spun to the floor.

"Tuffnut, Ruffnut, yeh're oot," Gobber said, while the twins dizzily tried to sit up, "Those shields are good fer another thin', noise! Make lots of it to throw off a Dragon's aim!"

Following his instructions, the recruits started banging their weapons against their shields, while the Gronckle was visibly affected as it started to fly somewhat clumsily.

"It's working!" Annabelle exclaimed, encouraging the others to continue.

"I can't believe it's actually working!" Fishlegs cried.

"Now, listen up!" Gobber called. "There's a shot limit fer every Dragon. Can any of yeh guess which one's fer a Gronckle?"

"Maybe five!?" Snotlout guessed.

"No, it's six!" Fishlegs corrected as he turned to face the blacksmith, for a moment forgetting about the Dragon.

"'Ats right! Which means there's ane shot fer each of yeh!"

"Wait, I don't really think my parents would-" Fishlegs started to say, oblivious to the Gronckle making a bee-line towards him. As the blonde boy raised his shield to ask a question, the Gronckle shot a fireball at him as the shield broke into splinters while Fishlegs ran away.

"Fishlegs, yeh're oot boy!" Gobber announced.

"Yeah, I kind of figured!"

The four remaining teens stood up together, with Astrid on the front, Snotlout and Annabelle on the sides, and Hiccup on the back.

"So, I'm moving to my parents' basement, you should come and check it out," Snotlout said to Astrid, who's eyes were focused on the Gronckle coming towards them. Annabelle couldn't help but roll her eyes and shake her head. Without warning, Astrid cartwheeled away leaving the other three alone. "Yeah, you look like you work out."

"Duck!" Annabelle cried, grabbing Hiccup from the shoulders and pulling him to the floor with her. Snotlout barely had time to react when an incoming blast knocked him off his feet and he fell to the ground.

"Snotlout, oot."

Annabelle and Hiccup managed to get back to their feet as the Gronckle started to make its way towards the two. Annabelle couldn't help but groan.

"Does this thing never tires out!?" she asked, rearranging her shield and cleaning off small drops of sweat from her forehead.

"This isn't over until it's over," Hiccup said between breaths, "But I agree with you. We have to put an end to this, now."

"Right," She nodded with a look of determination. After a moment passed, she stared blankly at Hiccup, "How do we do that?"

"I have no idea." Hiccup shook his head.

"Great," Annabelle rolled her eyes, before she caught sight of something. Turning her head around, she saw the pen of the Dragon still open. Apparently Gobber was hoping this would end quickly and left the gates open to put the dragon back inside. Glancing back at the incoming Dragon and Hiccup at her side, her eyes widened as she suddenly got an idea.

"I've got a plan!" she exclaimed, gaining a surprised look from the boy besides her.

"You have a plan?" Hiccup repeated in disbelief.

"It's more like a crazy idea, which is something usual in me. I'm not entirely sure it'll work though."

"Do we have a choice?"

"No." Annabelle took a deep breath, before yelling at the top of her lungs, "HEY YOU OVERGROWN SAUSAGE! THAT'S THE BEST YOU CAN DO!? EVEN A PERSON MISSING A LEG COULD MOVE FASTER THAN YOU!"

 **"What did you just called me!? Say it again to my face! I dare you!"** The Gronckle snarled, as the girl's breath caught on her throat and her eyes widened like two full moons.

 _The Gronckle too!?_

However its voice didn't sound masculine at all, if anything, it was actually a female.

"COME ON YOU FAT REPTILE! IS YOUR BODY TOO HEAVY FOR YOUR LITTLE WINGS!?" Annabelle continued.

 **"I'm not fat! I'm big boned!"** the Gronckle growled, shooting another fireball at the teens. Annabelle managed to get off the way but Hiccup moved a second too late and his shield was blasted off his arm. The Dragon suddenly lost interest on the girl and went after the boy who chased his shield around the arena oblivious to the danger, causing the blacksmith to panic.

"Hiccup!" Gobber called after his apprentice, pointing at the very angry Dragon chasing after him. Hiccup gasped, forgetting his shield and running away from the Gronckle, his distraction causing him to crash into a wall. Before he could move, Hiccup found himself staring at the yellowish eyes of the Gronckle, who opened its massive jaw ready to finish him off, and braced himself for the inevitable.

 _BOOM!_

Looking up after a few seconds, the boy's mouth dropped to the floor as he blinked several times at the scene before him. Annabelle was on top of the Gronckle, clung to it for dear life as it trashed around trying to get her off it.

"Annabelle, in the name of Odin, what the Hell do you think you're doing!?" Hiccup yelled at her, letting go of his weapons and cupping both hands over his mouth.

"What does it seems like I'm doing!?" she shot back with her eyes closed tightly as she buried her nails on each of the sides of the Gronckle, her arms spread apart as far as she could. The Dragon let out a roar of pain before spinning around so fast Annabelle almost lost her grip on it. When it came to a stop she couldn't sit straight due to the dizziness, feeling like she would fall off any moment.

 **"Get off of me, you human scrum!"** the Gronckle snappe.

Gulping so her lunch didn't made its way up her throat, Annabelle tried to sat up a bit straighter and lean over the Dragon's head just enough so it could see her.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said loud enough so only the Gronckle would hear.

 **"Ha! That was a good one! So much for being brave and proud as you Vikings presume,"** the Gronckle mocked, when it suddenly struck her.

"I'm not a Viking," she said simply. The Dragon sent her a questioning look. "I'm not one of them. I'm just as ordinary as anyone else can be, and my intention isn't to make any hurt towards you."

 **"Can you understand me?"** the Gronckle asked in shock and she nodded. The Dragon scoffed, **"Why should I believe you? You humans are all the same. You think we always go for the kill, when you're the ones killing us for no reason!"**

Annabelle looked down for a second, her heart in he throat as her grip tightened on the Gronckle.

"Um... well, I-I could change that. Me and my friend down there will make sure that Dragons are not hurt anymore. Any Dragon of any kind," she stated. "But you have to go back to your pen, or things here gonna get ugly real fast."

 **"Really? Who's your friend?"** the Gronckle wondered of a sudden, taking the girl by surprise as it change very drastically of topic. Nevertheless, Annabelle managed to tilt her head towards Hiccup, who was staring back at them with an overwhelmed expression.

"It's him. He and I agree want to end this war as I'm sure many of your kind do, but you won't admit it because you're scared. And it's ok because Vikings gave you reason to, but not anymore." She removed her hands and placed them on the back of the Gronckle. "Please, just go back to your pen and I promise I'll do whatever it takes so no more Dragons are hurt by anyone living on this island."

There was a moment of silence.

 **"You promise?"**

"Yes. Pinkie promise." Annabelle held out her pinkie out.

A couple of minutes later, Gobber was sealing the Gronckle's cage with a dumbfounded expression written over his face. He couldn't believe the Dragon didn't fight back when he tried to return it to the pen, instead it flew on his own back inside, with an expression that he assumed it seemed to say 'I actually like to be locked up in here.'

As Annabelle made her way out with the blacksmith eyeing her warily, she felt someone squishing the life out of her.

"Are you okay!?" Hiccup yelled frantically as he looked at her from head to toe, looking for any wounds or injuries.

"I'm fine Hiccup," she said, smiling at the young man who still was looking at her like if he couldn't believe she was alive. It appeared he didn't hear her though, as he continued to examine her carefully, alarming when he found the slightest bruise or suspicious sign of a wound.

"Hiccup," she called firmly, snapping the young man's attention to her as they locked eyes. "I'm fine, really."

"Are... Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm alright," she assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Hiccup heaved a sigh and showed a small grin at her.

"Wha' in the name of Thor was 'at!?" Gobber exclaimed, scaring the recruits out of their skin.

"What was what?" Annabelle asked, feigning innocence.

"C'mon now, I saw it with my own eyes!" he said, walking angrily and a little shocked as well towards the brunette, who arranged some loose locks of hair behind her ear. "How 'n the entire archipelago does it occurs to yeh to ride a Dragon!?" he yelled, calling the attention of the other teens, who were enjoying the scene.

"Oh... You mean that?" Annabelle played with her fingers nervously as she thought of an answer. "Um... Back in the Southern Islands... They used to teach us to ride Dragons. Of course, I never tried it before..."

"Look, lassie," Gobber interrupted. "I don't know wha' they used to show yeh, but here it's not the same thin'. From now on, remember 'at a Dragon will _always_ go fer the kill." He looked around to the rest of the recruits. "Class dismissed."

As the blacksmith and the others left, they missed the frown Hiccup and Annabelle shared, before a thought crossed their minds and their looks turned to ones of wonder.


	7. Not all Dragons go for the kill

**I just finished the chapter yesterday and with so many things in my life going on I forgot to publish it, so here you go. But remember, updates are on Fridays. Now, answers to reviews:**

 **MMM: Whoa, slow down, I'm getting there. One of your questions is about to be answered in this chapter. The other one though, I can assure you that will be happening sooner or later ;)**

 **kaitlyn1111: Annabelle's last name is Caldwell, which is Old Norse for 'cold spring'.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

7\. Not all Dragons go for the kill

* * *

BERK, THE FOREST

"A Dragon will always go for the kill," Hiccup repeated Gobber's words as he held on his hands the bola he used to shot down the Night Fury.

"I just don't get it." Annabelle frowned as she stared at the ropes. "If what Gobber said is true, then why did the Night Fury let us go?"

"I don't get it either." Hiccup stood up. "He could have killed me the moment I set him free. But then you arrived and told him to let me go, and he actually listened to you!" Hiccup looked at her in confusion. "How did you manage to do it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just said the first thing that came to my mind. I wasn't expecting him to actually obey me." Crossing her arms, she remembering the scariest part of the story. "But within seconds he had the upper hand again and... it was unexpected, but... He, uh... He..."

"He what?" Hiccup asked.

"He talked to me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Wait a second... he talked to you?" From what he knew, Dragons could fly, could swim, could breathe fire, but something they couldn't do was talk.

"It was so strange. I thought it was just my imagination, but in the arena the Gronckle started talking to me as well," Annabelle explained, noticing Hiccup looking at her like she had gone completely crazy. This worried her. "Would you please tell me it's a normal thing in Dragons, because I'm really thinking I just lost my head."

"No, I'm sure you're not crazy, but I do found hard to believe that a Dragon talked to you. Not that it's not possible."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know, but I'll make sure to remember to search about that when we have the Dragon manual," Hiccup offered and she nodded.

He started to follow the path of destruction the Night Fury had left with Annabelle following closely behind. It didn't take them too long before they arrived to a small cove hidden in the heart of the forest. Both teens were breathless at the sight of such beautiful and peaceful place.

"Wow. It's so quiet in here, but so beautiful at the same time," Annabelle noted.

"Yeah. I could get used to it," Hiccup agreed. After looking around for a few moments, his eyes caught sight of something else laying in the dirt, contrasting with all the environment. He got to his knees to pick it up and showed it to Annabelle.

"What's this doing here?" she wondered as she took the object from his hand. It had certain characteristics such as round, small, thin, sharp and shining.

Hiccup noticed more of the same thing in the ground and picked another one up. After a moment of deep thought he said, "I think these are scales. And if I had to guess who they belong to, I would say..."

"The Night Fury," Annabelle finished.

As if she had invoked it, a sudden movement startled both of them. Their eyes widened when they saw just whom they were looking for, trying desperately to escape. After seconds of struggling to claw his way out, the Night Fury gave up and flew back to the other side of the cove. The teens looked at each other with the same amount of excitement before trying to get a bit closer and have a better look.

The Night Fury, oblivious to their presence, was growing impatient and starting to get very frustrated. He needed to leave this island immediately, but every time he tried to fly he only managed to be three seconds in the air before crashing back to the ground. And then he was reminded why he couldn't leave. The only thing left was to accept his fate.

His eyes caught sight of movement and noticed the fish swimming in the lake. Well, at least he wasn't going to starve to death. He walked cautiously to the edge, but they swam away before he could get them. He got his head out of the water and lay on the ground, his earplates dropping. Just great, now he was flyless and hungry.

All this time Hiccup and Annabelle had been watching with full attention the actions of the Dragon, also realizing that the reason he couldn't fly away was because he was missing a tailfin. Hiccup had managed to capture the Dragon in a sketch on his notebook, noticing he had accidentally drawn both tailfins and used his the back of his hand to erase one.

"He can't fly because of me..." Hiccup realized sadly. "How could I have done this?"

"It wasn't your fault Hiccup. It was an accident," Annabelle said, trying to give him some comfort.

"No, it wasn't." He shook his head. "I wanted so bad to be someone I'm not, I didn't really see what was I doing. I was selfish. And now I see the consequences of my actions. It's my fault he's stuck in here."

Annabelle pressed her lips into a tight line as she watched the boy bow his head in shame, feeling like he deserved to be punished for what he had done. She knew the feeling, and she understood what Hiccup was going through. Hiccup was surprised when he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder.

"Hiccup, look at me." He raised his head, unable to think that a voice so kind would belong to the girl besides him. "I know it's hard to accept it, but you can't let the guilt consume you. You made a mistake, but everyone makes mistakes. There's always another way to solve things, and we're goning to find it together."

Hiccup didn't know what to say, so he placed his hand on top of hers and gave it a light squeeze. "Thank you for that."

"It's nothing." Annabelle smiled.

Unfortunately, they didn't notice Hiccup's pencil go rolling down until it clattered to the bottom, making noise loud enough to catch the Night Fury's attention. Both froze in place as the Night Fury stared at them. First he looked at the boy, who sat straighter when they locked eyes, and then as he turned to the girl, she felt something familiar about him. Tilting her head thoughtfully, her eyes widened when the Dragon followed her head movement with his own.

 _Why do I feel like I know you?_

When they both realized the Night Fury was going nowhere, they headed back to the village.

* * *

THE GREAT HALL

The gates of the Great Hall opened and a pair of teens entered soaking wet thanks to the thunderstorm outside.

"Does it rain this much often in Berk?" Annabelle asked as she released her hair from her ponytail and squished the excess of water off of it, while Hiccup took his vest off as the two of them walked towards the nearest table where the rest of the recruits were sitting.

"The weather here is quite unpredictable." Hiccup shrugged.

As they arrived, they heard Gobber asking each of teens what did they do wrong today in the arena. Both of them walked over their table and grabbed some plates with food, making their presence known by the others.

"Wha' did Hiccup do wron' today?" Gobber asked, gaining a glare from Annabelle as they walked to the next table.

"He didn't get eaten?" One of the twins said.

"He showed up?" The other continued.

"He's never where he needs to be." Astrid said, giving a short glance at the pair while they sat. Annabelle just glared at the blonde.

 _As if she was Mrs. Perfect,_ she thought.

"Thank yeh, Astrid. Finally, where did Annyabeth go wron'?" Gobber asked, making some of the recruits snicker.

"It's Annabelle." The girl corrected through gritted teeth.

"Sorry." Gobber apologized. "Where did she go wron'?"

Snotlout smirked. "Well, she paired up with Useless over there in the first place. And before the Dragon even went out of its cage, they were withdrawing! Ha, cowards."

That single word struck a nerve in Annabelle. Her eyes widened, and without her noticing her grip on the knife she was using to cut her food hardened. This didn't go unnoticed by Hiccup, who looked at her in concern.

"Annabelle, are you okay?" He asked, but he got no answer. He turned his head and watched Snotlout go on.

"...and then she tried to ride a Dragon! Like, seriously, who is crazy enough to think of something as ridiculous like that?"

"Nice of yeh to brin' the subject a lot Dragons, Snotlout," Gobber said as he laid something on the recruit's table. "Because fer yer nex' lesson yeh'll need ta breathe this stuff. The Dragon Manual, everythin' we know aboot Dragons is right there."

This caught Hiccup's attention, and it would have caught Annabelle's as well a few moments earlier.

 _RUMBLE!_

Gobber went silent for a moment before saying, "No attacks tonigh', study up."

"Wait, you mean read?" Tuffnut complained.

"While we're still alive?" Ruffnut groaned.

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Why read..."

He didn't even say half of the sentence when a hand suddenly planted a knife on the table, just a few inches besides his fist. Eye widened, everyone turned around in shock to notice it was the same girl from the Dragon Training that had threatened Snotlout.

"Don't you _ever_ call me a coward," she growled with so much venom in her voice it surprised all of the teens, but Snotlout quickly changed his expression into a scowl. "I did more in the training than you did, I was trying to survive and actually try to beat the Dragon while you tried to flirt with a girl you don't even have the ten percent of chance that she will notice you. So why don't you do us all a favor and shut up your damn mouth."

The Jorgenson boy grinned wickedly and raised an eyebrow. "So the kitten decided to draw her claws out." He crossed his arms. "You want me to shut up? Why don't you make me?"

"I can make you." Annabelle grinned back in the same manner, sending chills running down Hiccup's back. This was a new side of the brunette he didn't imagine he would see. "But if you don't wanna leave crying, you're gonna shut up. Right. _Now_."

Snolout laughed. "Really? Are you threatening me?" Annabelle didn't even move as she watched him laugh. "Okay, okay. Let me consider it, yes? Hm... no! What you're gonna do about it?" He questioned, pushing her back as she almost tripped over her own feet. "Who's gonna cry now, hm?"

"I know who. And that's not me!"

Annabelle drew her hand back aiming at Snotlout's jaw, and with a grunt she threw her fist at him. Snotlout already seeing it coming just stepped aside as she stumbled forwards but caught herself. Growling, she turned around using her momentum to throw a kick in the air at the same time, but the boy jumped further so it didn't reach.

The teens noticed the fight coming up left their seats and stood up, watching as Snotlout dodged Annabelle's blows while he kept mocking her. While the twins were enjoying this and partially Astrid, Fishlegs and Hiccup just stood there speechless, neither of them being fans of fighting. The latter was mostly in shock, not believing what his eyes were seeing.

"That's the best you can do?" Snotlout taunted, enjoying how she was getting angrier every time. "C'mon already, hit me! Or are you chicken?"

"Don't call me that!" Annabelle cried, tears pooling in her eyes as she threw several punches which he easily dodged, making it clear she was completely out of shape. Which also made him wonder how in the name of Thor Gobber let them in Dragon Training.

Annabelle's face was turning red from anger. Why couldn't he just stay still for a second!? Curse the moment she refused to train with Dallas when he asked her to join him in the street rumbles.

After a while of going nowhere she paused, resting her hands in her knees as she panted. She clenched her fists when the sound of Snotlout'a laughter filled her ears.

 _You wanna play dirty? Then let's play dirty, Snotfloot._

"Hey, Snotlout," she called as the boy's back faced her, "Here's a lesson for you, never give your back to an opponent."

This time, as Snotlout turned around he barely noticed the incoming punch from the girl. With a cry, Annabelle punched him so hard in the jaw the sound of her fist making contact with his face echoed all around the Hall. Absolutely everyone stopped whatever they were doing and turned their attention to the scene. There was complete silence in the Hall for a short moment before Snotlout cried out loud.

"AARRGH!" He yelled, holding his mouth in pain, "Why did you do that for!? Hold on, I'm gonna take a..." he managed to say, before he collapsed.

Everyone in the Hall stared in shock at Annabelle, who only glared at the unconscious boy. It was only when she saw Vikings checking on him, it dawned on her what she had done. She gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth in shock.

Out of nowhere, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and very slowly, she looked up to meet a pair of angry Vikings looking at her, their eyes filled with what she only could read as _danger_.

"You're comin' with us, girl," one of them said, making her gulp.

* * *

GOTHI'S HUT

This couldn't be happening.

Annabelle had arrived to Berk just three days ago, and now she had caused so much trouble like she was used to it. After what happened at the Hall, she was forced to come to the healer's hut and wait while Snotlout was treated by the healer herself, an old woman named Gothi or something like it she had heard. As she waited, she was being guarded by a trio of Vikings while Gobber and the boy's father himself helped the healer.

Annabelle didn't know why she had acted that way, that was not like her. She just panicked and acted out of anger and fear, but try and explain that to Vikings who don't listen to reason.

 _If my mother saw me right now, she would be very disappointed._

The sound of footsteps snapped her out of her train of thought. She stood up from the floor and dusted her clothes off when she saw Gobber exit the hut.

"How is he?" she asked, playing with her hands nervously.

The blacksmith sighed, and her heart dropped.

"That's not good, is it?"

"No, it's no good." Gobber shook his head. Then he looked at Annabelle, for a second believing he was staring at Hiccup and not at the girl. "Yeh did quite a number on him. The lad hasn't stopped mutterin' incoherence since we've brooght 'im here, but it's most probably he'll be fine by tomorrow. Eh, he might've lost a few teeth as well."

Annabelle's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had really gone too far.

"Now, why don't yeh explain ta me wha' happened back there?" Gobber asked, raising an eyebrow. She sighed and nodded. Ten minutes later, she had told everything to the blacksmith.

"I admit Snotlout can be annoyin' sometimes, but he's still a youn' lad. Yeh all are. The problem here is, he's a Vikin' an' yeh're not. Which means 'at withoot supervision from yer parents, anythin' can happen ta yeh as long as yeh stay here. Look, I'm sorry ta tell yeh this now, but Vikings don't take it too kind when dealin' with ootsiders."

Annabelle groaned, burying her face in her hands as she sat on the floor once again.

"That's just the thing, Gobber. My mot... My parents died a few days ago when a storm caught our ship, and I was the only lucky one who managed to survive."

The Viking only stared at her in surprise.

"I'm... I'm sorry ta hear 'at, lassie," Gobber finally said.

Annabelle uncovered her face and hung her head. She felt bad for lying, but she really had no choice. She was in some strange land where she knew no one but just a boy who she was just gaining his trust... and probably lost it after this. Besides, she was getting the feeling this was more real than she originally thought.

"Don't worry, it wasn't your fault," she replied at the blacksmith's apology. Gobber placed his good hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Yeh're right, but I can imagine wha' yeh're goin' throogh."

Annabelle shook her head. _Yeah, right._

"What am I going to do?" she said, "No one's going to believe me. I'm just a girl after all, a kid under the eyes of everyone else even though I can take care of myself. I don't even want to imagine the worst case scenario."

"Well, somethin' has to be done. Yeh must learn 'at yer actions have consequences, but it's fer the best."

Annabelle looked up at Gobber. "I know, I know... so do you have any idea of what my consequence is going to be?"

He sighed. "I do, an' I really don't wanna do this ta yeh, but I'm gonna have ta suspend yeh from Dragon Trainin' fer a week."

There was a short silence.

"What!?"


	8. The Dragon Manual

**Hi there everyone! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to post a new chapter. Thankfully, I'm finally out of school! Which means, more free time to write! Oh yeah!**

 **On a side note, a few weeks ago I was doing some research about the full topic of Vikings and realized that the general idea for a Viking is very very wrong, so I'm planning to introduce some of that stuff in the story. I hope you guys will like it.**

 **Oh, and thank you to the ones who are reading this story! So far we've reached 11 reviews, 19 favs and 24 follows. If you guys enjoy this story, please follow it and fav so you won't miss an update. And please, try to take the time and review your opinion after reading the chapter so I know what you guys think and see how can I improve as a writer and the story itself. ****Thank you so much!**

* * *

8\. The Dragon Manual

* * *

 ** _Previously_**

 _"What am I going to do?" she said, "No one is going to believe me. I'm just a girl after all, a kid under the eyes of everyone else even though I can take care of myself. I don't even want to imagine the worst case scenario."_

 _"Well, somethin' has to be done. Yeh must learn 'at her actions have consequences, but its fer the best."_

 _Annabelle looked up at Gobber. "I know, I know... so do you have any idea of what my consequence is going to be?"_

 _He sighed. "I do, an' I really don't wanna do this ta yeh, but I'm gonna have ta suspend yeh from Dragon Trainin' fer a week."_

 _There was a short silence._

 _"What!?"_

...

BERK

Annabelle literally dragged her feet as she followed the sloppy path to Hiccup's house, thanks to the storm. Fortunately, she had managed to persuade Gobber to reduce her punishment to only three days, but still she couldn't help feeling horribly wrong about what happened.

How was she supposed to explain it to Hiccup now? She knew perfectly well that he, like the other recruits, had seen absolutely everything and it made her hair stand on end because she was really nervous about what he was going to think of her. She was just starting to own his trust and she had thrown everything away as if she didn't care at all.

Worst of all, she couldn't stop thinking about what her mother would've said if she could see her. It had always been somewhat of a rough relationship between the two for a reason Annabelle was not aware of. She always preferred to think it was related to her father's disappearance, but she wasn't so sure about her theory. The only thing she knew was this: her mother was too forgiving with Dally, too kind with Lucy, and too tough with her.

But she had learned to live with it and to follow the lessons her mother taught her exactly as she dictated them. Annabelle hated when she failed or made a silly mistake, because her mother would only give her a cold stare and be tougher the next time.

 _So..._ _She would most likely be disappointed about you, wouldn't she?_

At the sound of the voice, Annabelle stopped walking even though she was standing in the middle of the rain. She looked around to see who had spoken but found no one, and the voice had not really sounded far away. Rather as if it came from herself, like a thought.

The voice also sounded different, to tell the truth. Although it sounded just like her own voice, there was also a touch of coldness in it. It made Annabelle wonder if she was the one who had answered herself. She had to check it somehow.

 _Who are you?_ She asked. Part of her couldn't help but feel stupid for doing so, but she wouldn't just stay with the question hanging in her mouth.

 _Wow, someone finally talks to me,_ was the immediate response of the voice. It took her by surprise, since she wasn't expecting any response in fact. _Beautiful place you have here, everything's in order._

Annabelle frowned in confusion. _Sorry, what do you mean?_

She couldn't see someone physically, but in her head she thought of herself taking to a mirror-self. More or less. Like if she was talking to a twin, but with a meaner character.

She felt her other self rolling her eyes. _What do you suppose? I'm the voice inside your head, I thought you'd understand. But as it seems I was wrong, I'll make it clear to you: I'm speaking about your mind._

Annabelle blinked. _My mind?_

 _Well of course. Although I'm here all the time, I didn't imagine your thoughts would be so organized and yet so creative. I see you spend a lot of time thinking, but I'll give you an advice, honey: that's not very attractive._

She scowled. Hold on, so now she was hearing voices in her head who were also telling her how to be attractive? This was just ridiculous.

 _Maybe I'm going paranoid or something_ , she thought.

 _Hey! Will you be more careful? I also have feelings._

Her eyes widened. This couldn't be happening, could it? She just met the voice inside her head and was actually having a conversation with it. She was mostly certain she had lost her head by now. First the whole 'living a dream that is not really a dream' thing and now this?

"Oh my God, what's happening to me?" Annabelle muttered, looking towards the sky.

 _I'm still here, you know,_ the voice said.

 _I'm sorry. I'm just not used to hear a voice that replies to my thoughts, much less hearing a voice identical to mine._

 _Well, you better get used to it because I'll be wondering around every now and then from this moment on._

 _Yeah, but_ _I still don't know who you are,'_ Annabelle pointed out _. And I don't think I can keep calling you "voice". Do you have a name by any chance?_

The voice scoffed. _Of course I have a name! What am I, an animal or something? My name's Sara._

 _You have a very nice name._

 _Thank you. Now, hurry or you'll be catching a cold in the blink of an eye._

 _Alright._

When there was no reply, Annabelle continued. With everything in the dark, it took her a while to find her way and to arrive at the house. By then, she was soaked to the bone. Some of her hair locks were stuck to her face and her neck, while others were tangled out of the blue. Her clothes were completely wet in and out, including her shoes. Rubbing her arms to keep them warm, she knocked on the door. After waiting for a few moments, when no one opened it she decided to have a glance inside.

"Hello? Anybody home?" she asked, but no answer came. Shrugging and glancing at the storm outside, she entered the house without thinking it twice. Taking off her shoes, she climbed upstairs and opened slightly the room where she was staying.

"Hiccup, are you here?" she called. There was only silence. Opening fully the door, she looked around but Hiccup wasn't there. Annabelle sighed and supposed that he would still be in the Great Hall. No way she was going back there tonight.

Placing her shoes besides the bed, she walked around the room taking a more detailed view of the room. Almost everything was made of wood, save for the clothes, the blankets, the candles and the papers spread out in the desk.

The last part caught her attention. Walking forwards, she went to see the sheets of paper that had a few drawings with some writings on the sides. The drawings were about Dragons. All of them were different kinds of Dragons, in different form, size and shape. They even looked like the animals from her world. There was one Dragon that looked like a bird, but it had spikes and scales instead of feathers. Another one looked way too similar to a hippo.

It surprised Annabelle the degree of detail that the young man had given to each drawing. They seemed like real photographs, like the Dragons themselves.

Smiling, Annabelle took all the pictures from the table and carried them to the bed to distract herself for a while. She didn't bother to take her time in each of the drawings, trying to decipher the scriptures that accompanied the images.

She had never seen this language. The symbols looked a lot like Chinese, but she wasn't sure. She had heard before something about Vikings having their own language, called Norse, which was constantly confused with Runic.

Annabelle looked at the writings and tried to read them, but she was surprised when she found out that she actually understood the symbols on the paper, like if it was a mother language. The only thing that was out of place was the missing punctuation marks, save for occasional periods. Everything else seemed relatively easy.

A couple of hours later, Annabelle heard the sound of the wood creaking followed by footsteps. She lifted her head and gasped when Hiccup entered the room soaking wet. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly rose from the bed, dropping the pictures as she did. The movement made Hiccup turn his head towards her and it didn't take him long to discover the papers on the bed, his eyes widening.

"Hey," Annabelle said. "What took you so long?"

The young man turned to her. "Oh, I stayed in the Hall for a while waiting for the storm to calm down."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them until Annabelle decided to break it.

"Um... well, in the meantime, I was just looking at your drawings. I hope you don't mind. You're really good, they're amazing."

"You think so?" A slight tint of pink appeared on Hiccup's cheeks. She was oblivious to this and nodded her head.

"Yeah, you're very skilled. I bet you're a natural with the pencil. Where did you learn to draw like that?"

Hiccup didn't respond at first. Annabelle thought he was ignoring her, when she saw him pull two towels out of his closet and give her one as he took off his vest and hung it on the back of the chair.

"Um... I kind of... learned on my own," Hiccup said. "There was no one who could teach me. It took me years of practice to be able to draw like that, and it wasn't that easy. When I was a kid, it frustrated me how could I not be able to draw a straight line in the paper, and I would leave it. It took me a while to realize that for one, I am left-handed."

Annabelle's mouth dropped in shock. "What? Really? I never met someone who is left-handed before. What does it feels like?"

Hiccup took a moment to think how to answer. He never had payed too much attention on being able to use his left hand the same way other people used their right, until now. He stared at his hands, more specifically the one holding the towel he was using to dry himself. It was the left.

"Uh... it feels normal, I guess...? Well, it's not really an achievement or something out of this world, it's just... as if you were right-handed, but you're using your other hand."

"Wow. That's amazing," she breathed. "Well, it's not amazing but it's so cool that you're able to use the left hand. I wish I could. My mother once told me that there are people able to use both hands to do anything, left and right. Even if I don't remember, she says my father was one of those few people. Can you imagine using your both hands to write?"

"Yeah, that could come in handy, so when one of them is hurt, you can use the other." Annabelle chuckled at the chosing of Hiccup's words, causing the young man to frown before he got his own joke. "Oh, ha ha. Very funny."

She shrugged, flashing an innocent smile. "Okay, jokes aside. In the time you were at the Great Hall, did you manage to find something about Dragons or Night Furies?"

Hiccup cleared his throat. "Wait a minute. Before I tell you what I found, I want to ask you something."

"Sure, what is it?"

"It's about what happened with Snotlout."

The mood on the room changed drastically. Annabelle's face fell and she sighed. Knowing where the conversation was going, she slowly gathered all the papers and carried them back to the desk where she found them.

"Oh. You mean that..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "What do you want to know?"

There was a short silence.

"Can you turn around, please?"

Her shoulders stiffened, but she did so. Very slowly she turned around, keeping her eyes on the floor. She couldn't look at Hiccup in the eye, for the fear of what would she see in them. Would Hiccup hate her? She figured, no. He wouldn't. But she wasn't so sure. Would he be mad at her? Would he want her to leave? Why was he so quiet?

She heard footsteps, and her hands clenched into tight fists. A pair of boots stepped into her sight, and she braced herself for what was coming. When nothing happened, she couldn't help but look up. She was surprised when instead of finding all of the previous options in his eyes, she only saw one thing that made her tear up: care.

"Are you not... mad at me?" Annabelle managed to ask, timidly. Her eyes widened when Hiccup shook his head.

"Mad at you? How could I be mad at the only person ever who had only treated me with kindness, much less when Snotlout had it well deserved for being a prat?" He put a hand on her shoulder and without her telling him, she knew he noticed how tense she was.

"I admit it took me by surprise, everyone was too shocked that someone finally stood up against Snotlout for the first time ever to do anything. Astrid doesn't count, she much more ignores him. Fishlegs never says anything. Ruffnut and Tuffnut hang out with him just to see someone getting hurt or to do mischief. So, mad? No, that would be stupid."

Annabelle couldn't stop the tears from falling, hating herself for showing how weak she was. She wanted to be strong, she _had_ to be. Ever since her father left when she was six, she had vowed never to cry again. When he didn't show up the night of the second week, she locked herself in her room and cried her heart out until falling asleep. The next morning she had promised herself she would never let anyone see her cry again, so she couldn't help but feel like a little girl again as Hiccup watched her break down.

"I'm sorry," she said wiping her tears off. "I'm sorry you have to see me this way. First my outburst at the Hall, and now this..."

Hiccup shook his head. "No, it's ok. There's nothing you have to be sorry for. But can you tell me what did Snotlout call you back there, was it coward?"

Annabelle nodded as she wiped new tears. "Yes. I know it's not really a big insult, but it still put me on edge. It has to do with something that happened when I was little." She crossed her arms and bowed her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"It's fine. You don't have to tell me if you don't feel like it."

Annabelle turned to Hiccup and even through her tears she smiled, silently thanking in her head that he didn't push her to talk. It made her feel better already.

"Thanks for understanding." She cleared her throat. "Now, what exactly did you find about Night Furies?"

"I was just about to ask you something related to that," Hiccup said.

She chuckled. "Yeah?"

He scratched the back of his neck, what she had learned it was something he tended to do when he was nervous. "I know it's late, but would you like to read with me the Dragon Manual?"

Before she could answer, he left the room. Annabelle raised an eyebrow at Hiccup, who came back moments later with an old book in his hands. The blue-eyed teen left walked over to have a better look at what he was holding.

"What is that?" she asked.

"This is the Dragon Manual," Hiccup said, "the book I read at the Hall. No one else seemed interested on it, so I assumed no one would mind if we borrowed it for a while. We might as well fill it in with information about any Dragon that we'll be studying. And talking about Night Furies... I didn't find anything about them. The pages were in blank save for a few words."

To prove his point, he opened the book on the page where supposedly the Night Furies would be, but the only thing Annabelle saw was the title and a few sentences in the end. She read them aloud.

"Night Fury. Speed unknown. Size unknown. The unholy offspring of Lightning and Death itself. Never engage this Dragon. Your only hope is to hide and pray it does not find you."

Annabelle looked up at Hiccup. "That's really nice," she said sarcastically. "Well, did you find anything else? Like for example, any information about my ability?"

"Something like that, but it wasn't much. According to the Manual, the way of understanding and talking to the Dragons has to do with something known as _Dragonese_ , the ancient language of Dragons. The book said that only a few develop this skill, which can be learned or in rare cases inherited. And... that's all I found, sorry."

She smiled. "Don't worry. I honestly didn't have much hope that you would find anything at all, but thank you so much for trying."

"No problem, m'lady."

Annabelle was taken aback. "M'lady?"

"You don't like it?" He asked slowly.

"No, it's not that. It's just... no one ever called me that before. I like it. It sounds pretty."

"Well, you are pretty," Hiccup replied without thinking, what caused the blue-eyed to catch her own breath in her throat and her cheeks turn red. It took him a few seconds to let his own words sink and his eyes widened like two full moons, his face reddening almost to the red tone of a Nightmare's scales. He quickly tried to amend.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that! Well, I did mean it because you _are_ pretty, but not in _that_ way! Wait... that sounds even worse... Oh, oh my Gods, I'm so sorry-"

"Hiccup, it's ok," she cut him off. "I get it, thank you."

"Oh... Um, you-you're welcome..."

Both teens stood quietly back to back, with their faces a burning red, until one of them tried to change the subject.

"So, uh... About the book..."

"Huh? Oh, right!" Hiccup snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot. You... you still wanna read it with me?"

"S-sure," she stuttered.

"Okay then."

He walked to one side of the bed with the book on his hands and sat at the edge, then turned to her expectantly. She realized he was waiting for her to come and sit besides him, which for some reason she couldn't make out it made her blush.

 _Wait, what? No, stop it. He's my friend. Hormones, calm down._

Ignoring her stupid feelings, she went to sit besides the young man and kept a candle closely so they could read in the dark.

"Ok, here it goes." Hiccup opened the cover and started to read out loud, "Dragon classifications: Strike class, Fear class, Mystery class. Thunderdrum: this reclusive Dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide lakes. When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight."

Annabelle felt the hairs at the back of her neck rise. The images from the book didn't help at all, as it currently showed how a man was killed by said Dragon. Thankfully, Hiccup quickly turned the page.

"Timberjack: this gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees... Extremely dangerous, kill on sight."

Another page, another dragon.

For a moment, she thought the images began to take life and move on their own. But when she blinked, they were just that... Images with no movement. She sighed.

Hiccup noticed how uneasy she was feeling and placed a reassuring hand over hers. It was until then when he saw how badly she was shaking. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just a little bit disturbed by the images," she admitted, but her stomach giving extreme turns at the sight of the Dragons said otherwise.

"You want to keep going?"

After taking a deep breath and a long pause, she nodded. Hiccup was still concerned about her, so she gave her hand a light squeeze before he continued.

"Scauldron: sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous–"

A thunder echoed all of a sudden, making Annabelle scream in reflex. She unconsciously gripped Hiccup's hand tighter, but this didn't go unnoticed by the young man.

"Hey, it's alright. It's just the storm," he assured her.

"I-I know... Let's just get over with this."

"Changewing: even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight. Gronckle. Zippleback. The Skrill. Boneknapper, Whispering Death."

At this point, Hiccup was skipping over the pages just get done with the book. He had already read it before at the Hall and Annabelle looked like she was gonna pass out of fear in any moment.

"Burns it victims. Buries its victimes. Chokes its victims. Turns its victims inside-out. Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous, kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight..."

He flipped the last pages until he reached the Night Fury again and snapped shut the book.

"Well, I think that's it."

Until that moment Annabelle released a breath she didn't know she was holding, and then shuddered. "Thanks God. That's something I wouldn't like to see again."

Hiccup strongly agreed.

"We should probably go to sleep now. Tomorrow's gonna be another day."

"Right." Both teens went to their sleeping places and pulled the blankets over them, ready to drift off. "Goodnight Hiccup."

"Goodnight Annabelle."

She paused. "You know... you can just call me Anna if you want. My friends used to call me that back home. I think it sounds way better."

Hiccup nodded. "Ok. Goodnight Anna."

"Goodnight, Hic."

He smiled at the nickname before closing his eyes.


	9. Deadly Nadder

**Hey everyone!** **If you guys are enjoying this story, don't forget to follow it and fav so you won't miss an update. Please, try to review your opinion after reading the chapter so I can improve. ****Thank you so much everyone who has followed/favorited/reviewed!**

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 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **EDIT 22/09/17: A guest was kind enough to inform me that Astrid might have been too OOC at the end of this chapter, so I tried to change that. Hope I did well.**

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9\. Deadly Nadder

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BERK

DRAGON TRAINING, DAY 2

When Annabelle woke up, the first thing she did was inspect her surroundings. Everything seemed okay, with nothing out of the ordinary. She would have smiled if it wasn't for the fact that things weren't okay.

She didn't belong to that place.

It was the morning on the eight day. At that point, Annabelle had given up in lying to herself and finally accepted that all of what happened the previous week was real. All of it. She had wanted so bad to think that everything was fine, she wouldn't grasp the fact she had randomly appeared on the other side of the planet without reason. It scared her, but it was the truth.

And she couldn't escape it.

Thanks to Hiccup she hadn't felt like she left her home all this time. Home wasn't a specific place, it was somewhere where one was accepted and loved. Since she was receiving constant affection from someone else, she had been okay. But today was different.

She didn't have the energy to start a new day. She couldn't pretend anymore things were alright when they just weren't. She knew that sooner or later she would have to find a way to get home. Her real home, that is. But at least today, she would go on.

The sound of wood cringing and blankets moving against the floor told her that Hiccup was just waking up. Sadly the three days of punishment had gone in he blink of an eye, so she was obliged to go to training.

As she put her boots on, Hiccup sat up and gave a yawn. He stretched his arms and then rubbed his eyes.

"Morning, m'lady," he said. Annabelle couldn't help the slight rink of pink that colored her cheeks. The fifteen year old was used to hear that nickname only between couples and it still felt somewhat weird being called that, but she was getting accustomed to it.

"Morning Hic," she replied, using the new nickname she had given him.

By inertia, Annabelle started to brush her hair and arrange it into a ponytail when she suddenly paused, remembering what Hiccup had told her about hairstyles in Berk.

In the Viking culture, women weren't supposed to comb her hair in any way unless she was a warrior or she was married, so instead she had to let her hair free. She could only comb it so it would stay out from her face, but it still had to stay free. Which made her question the fact that some teens had it combed, but Hiccup justified it was a way to give easier mobility and that nowadays they didn't stick fully to the old traditions.

Annabelle had also started to get more involved into the Viking's lifestyle in every way possible, including clothing. She currently wore Hiccup's clothes, but they both agreed to get her proper Viking girl clothing by the end of the month. That way they would have enough time to find someone who could make some clothes according to her size.

"Anna, is everything alright?"

She suddenly snapped out of her train of thought, her eyes going wide when she realized they were not in the house anymore. God, she had been so distraught in her thoughts she hadn't noticed the moment they left. Now judging from the distance, she assumed they were half-way to training.

Trying to hide her unease, she smiled. "Yes. Just got a lot in my mind."

"About what?" Hiccup asked, curious about what could be so important that she had been ignoring him half of the way.

"It's nothing, don't worry," she said reassuringly, but Hiccup didn't have to be a genius to know there was more than just 'nothing'. Still, he didn't push it to her relief.

A couple of minutes later, they spotted the arena and the other recruits already there. Annabelle tensed as the distance between them shortened, since the past three days she had been avoiding on purpose all contact with them. So she could only keep a stoic expression as they approached.

"Hey, look who just decided to appear!" Snotlout's voice reached their ears from a good 20 feet away. "If it isn't Useless and his crybaby of a friend, the Outsider!"

The twins snickered wickedly, while Astrid merely glared at the pair - mostly at the girl, and Fishlegs just stood nervously without saying anything but internally hoping there wouldn't be a fight coming.

"Leave her alone, Snotlout," Hiccup snapped, which surprised all the teens. Hiccup would normally say nothing and try to ignore Snotlout, but Snotlout wasn't insulting just him, he was insulting Annabelle as well, and Hiccup would not let him cross that line.

Snotlout quickly masked his surprise underneath a smirk which showed the front tooth he was missing. Annabelle noticed this, and had a strong suspicion he had lost more teeth than just one. "What's that? Is Useless trying to defend this freaky stranger? Well, that's something you don't get to see everyday, right guys?"

"Yeah, it looks like Hiccup's finally grown a backbone." Ruffnut smirked crossing her arms. Her twin nodded.

"Yeah, can't wait to see him grow claws and a tail." Tuffnut laughed, only to receive confused looks. He frowned, confused as well. "What? Why are you looking at me? Everyone's talking about it, right? Hiccup's turning into a Dragon."

Ruffnut smacked his brother's head. "You're an idiot. Hiccup's not turning into a Dragon. Snotlout means that it's a surprise that he's standing up for his girlfriend."

"Ohhh! Yeah, I get it now. Why talk about backbones and Dragons?" He asked dumbly, at which Astrid only rolled her eyes.

Annabelle decided to ignore the twins and instead she asked, "Why are all of you still out here? Aren't we supposed to enter the arena?"

"Gobber left a note that said we were supposed to wait for everyone," Fishlegs explained as he showed them the note. It was Hiccup the one who took it and confirmed it was Gobber's handwriting.

"Well, what are we waiting? Let's go," he said as they all walked towards the entrance. Some of the boys managed to lift up the bars, but as they did, everyone stared eye wide at the scene. Huge artificial wooden walls were placed all around the arena, turning it into a giant maze.

"What in the world?" Annabelle said.

"Look, there's another note!" Fishlegs pointed to one of the walls, were indeed, there was another note on the floor. Annabelle went to pick it up and handed it to Hiccup, so he could read it aloud for everyone. She would have read it, but she still had some difficult to read the language.

"Go back to the entrance and then walk to your left. Grab a shield from the pile I've left for you. There are shields for everyone, Ruffnut and Tuffnut! Then spread out into the maze I've created. A little surprise will be expecting all of you."

"I got a bad feeling about this," Annabelle muttered as they turned to the left to find seven shields laying in the ground. The recruits walked towards them and got one each, before they started to walk through the halls of the artificial labyrinth.

Annabelle looked around carefully and advanced slowly, with her sword ready for anything that could come at her. Her heart was racing and her jaw was tense, but her breathing was slow and her movements were careful. Even if she had refused to join her older brother in the street fights, it didn't mean he didn't show her a few things.

As she rounded a corner, she jumped a meter high in the air when a voice startled her out of the blue.

"Welcome back, lass! It's actually good to see yeh here." Gobber's voice ran through the air, and Annabelle looked up to find the man in the upper part of the arena, behind the bars. "I cannot believe I'm sayin' it, but I'm glad 'at yeh have finally come to join th'others. It woold not be a party if yeh lot weren't here, an' as every party, I've got a present fer ya."

She raised a confused eyebrow as the man gestured further to her right, and she saw the doors of a dragon's pen open. Her eyes widened.

The Dragon had been released.

Her grip on the hilt of the sword suddenly tightened to the point her knuckles were starting to lose color as she stood quietly in a fighting stance. Suddenly the arena became too quiet for her liking. She eyed the halls of the maze carefully, having no idea of what Dragon would she face today. Maybe she should have read the Dragon Manual one more time.

 **"What is this new scent?"** A voice brought her back to reality. She turned around in the direction she heard the voice had come from, but saw nothing. **"I have never perceived an odor like this one in previous raids."**

Again, the brunette turned around quickly only to find nothing, what made her hair stand on end. Was she hearing voices again? She thought that was already over.

 _Is this some kind of trick from my mind?_

 _Nope._

The sound of a new voice made Annabelle jump back in surprise. Panting, she placed a hand over her chest to calm down her racing heart. It had been three days since she last heard that voice.

 _So now you decide to appear out of nowhere. Where have you been the past few days?_

 _Why, did you miss me?_ The voice - no, what was her name? Sally, Sammy, Satine... Sarina... Sara! - said with an amused tone. Annabelle shrunk her head somewhat embarrassed at the thought that her own conscience was laughing at her.

 _N-not really._

 _Hmph. Well I'm sorry to hear that, if you had I'd tell you to watch out for the incoming Dragon at 6 o'clock._

She frowned. _What-_

Before she could even ask, an incoming fireball blasted her shield away into thousands of smoking splinters, the force of the blast making her spin in her own axis so quickly before losing her balance and falling on her butt.

"OW," she moaned, using her arms to get herself into a sitting position. "That hurt."

Shaking her head to stop the dizziness, she gaped in shock as she stared at the Dragon standing in front of her. It's anatomy was actually familiar resembling a bird, only that instead of feathers it had scales, with a horn on the top part of the wing. It also possessed a beak and a huge crest of long yellow spines, which happened to cover the tail in smaller versions as well.

It took her a few seconds until the name of the Dragon clicked in her head.

"Deadly Nadder!"

As if it recognized the name, the Nadder roared. Annabelle didn't waste more time and got back to her feet as quickly as she could before breaking into a run through the maze.

 **"Stop! I demand you human to tell me why do you smell of a Dragon I've never met before!"** A feminine voice cried, and Annabelle nearly choked at it. Where was that coming from?!

Felling her legs burning already from running at full speed, she quickly rounded a corner and ducked into a tiny ball, waiting for the Nadder to pass. Hearing the Dragon's footsteps drifting away, she sighed in relief.

"WHOA! Wow!" A cry was heard.

"Focus Hiccup! Yeh're not even tryin'!" Gobber's voice rang through the air. "Today's all aboot attack!"

Annabelle rolled her eyes. _Yes, because it's very smart to attack a Dragon that is three times your size._ She didn't even had ten - no, five minutes in the arena and the Nadder had already attacked her once.

After a minute or two, she finally got out of her hiding place and dusted her clothes off, before jogging through the corridors of the labyrinth. Now without her shield she was even more defenseless than before, she would have to be extra careful.

"Nadders are light an' quick on their feet," Gobber continued. "Yer job's to be quicker an' lighter."

Pfft, of course the exercise was as easy as _that_.

Doing a right turn, Annabelle spotted the husky recruit who also appeared to be the smart one of the entire group, Fishlegs was it? - being hunted down by the Nadder. The Dragon spiked up its tail and attacked the boy, who barely managed to shield himself up before getting pinned to death by the spikes.

She heaved a sigh of relief. At least he got out this one unscathed.

"I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!" Fishlegs yelled to Gobber, but the instructor ignored him.

"Look fer a blind spot, there's one in every dragon. Find it, hide in it, an' strike!"

 _Look for a blind spot. How are supposed to do that with the Dragon chasing us around like chickens?_

 **"Not again! You are not the humans I'm looking for! Where are you little human? You can not hide from me!"**

"Who the heck does that voice belong to?!" Annabelle yelled exasperated.

"Hey you!"

Annabelle turned her head to the sound of a new voice, finding Astrid and Snotlout knelt at the ground behind one of the walls. Astrid gestured to her to get down and she complied. Looking ahead, she noticed the Nadder's back facing them, completely oblivious to their presence.

"Ugh, what are _you_ doing here?" Snotlout complained.

"If you don't want to be chopped liver I suggest you to shut up," she snapped. The young man grumbled to himself, but stayed quiet for his sake.

"So, how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" A familiar voice spoke.

"No one's ever met one an' lived to tell the tale, now get in there!" Another male voice yelled.

"I know, I know, but hypothetically-"

"Hiccup!" Astrid whispered-shouted, gaining his attention. She pressed a finger to her lips and gestured him to get down. Hiccup quickly looked at Annabelle and his eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he knelt behind her.

"I'm glad to see you in one piece," she whispered and gave him a small smile, which he returned with a nod.

"Yeah, me too."

"Would you two lovebirds cut it out and leave it for later?" Snotlout said a little bit too loud and clearly irritated, but Astrid quickly reprimanded him and told him to shut up. "What? It wasn't me, it was them!"

Time seemed to pass incredibly slow as the four recruits waited for the Nadder to be distracted enough so they'd go undetected. There was no sign of the twins or Fishlegs. Hopefully they wouldn't suddenly appear and blow up their cover.

 **"Where are you little human? Where are you?"** The voice from earlier spoke again.

It was right in that moment that Annabelle understood what was going on. The voice belonged to the Nadder itself! Er, herself. And recalling what she said, the Nadder was looking for a human. Looking for whom?

"Now!" Astrid suddenly said, before rolling over to the other side of the corridor. Snotlout was quick to follow, and then Annabelle. Smiling at what she achieved, she turned to look at Hiccup who didn't get as lucky as the others. The weight of the shield dragged him back down to the floor, making a noise which alerted the Dragon of their presence.

 **"There you are!"** The Nadder cried, chasing after the teens as Hiccup scrambled to his feet and everyone ran at different directions. Sadly, luck wasn't on Annabelle's side this time.

 **"Do not run away from me, I will get you anyway!"**

"No thanks!" she said, feeling her legs burning up and her lungs out of air. Doing a turn, she managed to loose the Nadder for a split second, but that split second she hadn't noticed the Dragon crash into a wall which shortly after collapsed, and with it, the whole labyrinth.

The Dragon chased the girl all the way hot on her heels, while the walls of the maze fell down like domino pieces. Reaching a dead end, the girl had no choice but to climb the remaining walls up and jump from one to the other with the Nadder following behind.

"HICCUP!" She shouted, spotting the young man who was just under the wall she was. As she felt it collapse, she jumped clumsily and screamed as gravity claimed her. The last thing she saw was Hiccup's wide eyes and his mouth open, before the rest of the maze collapsed and a cloud of dust rose.

As it dissipated, both teens found themselves into a mess of limbs.

"Ooh, love in the battlefield!" Tuffnut smirked.

"She could do better!" Ruffnut chanted.

Trying desperately to get away from each other, none of them noticed the Nadder running towards them.

"Guys, look out!" Fishlegs' voice rang in the air.

Both of them stopped struggling for a moment when their heard the warning, and looked up to see a very angry Dragon coming their way. Not being able to do anything, they both braced themselves.

 **"Now you will not run away from me!"** The Nadder roared.

Coming to their rescue, Astrid ran to them with axe in hand and brought it down to Hiccup's shield which was still attached to his arm, her weapon getting stuck on the wood as glue. Yanking it away with all her strength, she managed to get her axe off _and_ the shield, before reeling back and swinging with a cry. She hit the Dragon right on the nose and the shield broke into pieces. Pained, the Nadder walked away without putting a fight as Gobber locked it away.

"Well done, Astrid," the instructor congratulated.

Astrid stood in place panting as she realized how close their were to being eaten alive, before realizing the responsables for this were still on the ground. Turning around, she faced them.

"Is this some kind of a joke to you?!" she angrily snapped as both of the teens finally got one off the other somewhat awkwardly. She couldn't care less, but the fact that they were taking this as a game when she was giving it all infuriated her. "Our parents war is about to become _ours_. Figure out which side you're on." She put her axe threateningly close to Hiccup's neck, and then thinking that would do it, she turned around and walked towards the exit.

Annabelle glared at her and gritted her teeth. Who did this girl think she was? "Hey!"

Astrid stopped and turned around, and a slap rang through the air. She gasped, reaching up to touch her cheek and turning her head to look at the girl with disbelieving eyes that soon turned into a glare. Only very few dared to fight her, and none of them had managed to walk out without a bruise or two.

"What is wrong with you?" Astrid exclaimed in anger. "What did I do to you?"

"What is wrong with _me_? What is wrong with _you_! How dare you threaten us?" Annabelle shot back.

Astrid scoffed. "Excuse me? You're the one who's taking this as if it was some sort of game or something! This is serious, we're in the middle of the war for crying out loud! Why can't you get it through your skull?"

"Of course we know we're at war, captain Obvious! But you don't have any right to talk to us as you please! Who do you think you are, the Queen of England?"

She blinked. "I don't know what you're talking about, but if there's anyone who doesn't have any say in, is you. You're an outsider, you're nothing here. Why don't you stop sticking your damn nose in the business of others and go back to your little freaking island, while we lead with our own problems!"

Annabelle gasped. Tears prickled in her blue eyes, but she tried to swallow the knot coming up her throat as she clenched her fists in rage. Once again her temper was getting the best of her.

"Oh yeah, you're doing a very good job on that!" She gave a sarcastic laugh."You almost got killed last time, and if you really want us to take this seriously, why don't you start to work on your own actions? We're supposed to fight the Dragon and beat it up together, not fight each other! But you're so selfish and focused on winning you would rather let your friends die than help them - if you even have any friends at all! I bet you don't even care about anyone living in this whole Godforsaken island!"

Another slap pierced through the air. But this time Astrid was the one to watch the girl reach up at her face and stare at her in shock.

"Look here, you little outsider," she spat, taking a menacing step closer, "I don't know what the heck is your problem, but if you're looking for a fight you're gonna get one. Consider this your only warning."

Hot tears ran down Annabelle's cheeks. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it and shoved Astrid to the side as she ran past her.

"Annabelle!" Hiccup cried, reaching an arm out towards her too late. His shoulders slumped and he scowled at the shield maiden. "Why did you tell her that? She was just defending me!

Astrid shot him an incredulous look. "You can't be serious, Hiccup! Are you really that stupid? Didn't you see she started this whole fuss?"

"That doesn't mean you can hit her back! I thought you were better than that, Astrid."

It was like fueling a fire with gasoline. Astrid's face went so red she was the color of a Monstruos Nightmare.

"I AM better than that! And why do you care about her anyway? She's a little freak who doesn't belong here! Snotlout even lost three teeth thanks to her!"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "When have you ever cared about Snotlout in the first place? And by the way, he's had worse when you punch him. But Annabelle was right about something, you know. You don't have any friends."

Astrid looked at him in confusion. "What? I do have friends."

"Really?" He started to count with his fingers. "You can't stand Snotlout at anytime, you barely tolerate Fishlegs, you practically ignore the twins as if they weren't here and you obviously don't like me. So, who are exactly these friends of yours that you're talking about?"

Hiccup watched as Astrid tried to say something, but no words came out of her mouth. He only stood there for a moment longer before he decided to leave her to her thoughts. She wasn't worth it. He turned around and didn't look back as he walked away.


	10. Friends

**Hey everyone! I'm truly sorry for taking so long, a lot has happened the past few weeks. Anyway, here's your chapter. Don't** **forget to follow it and fav so you won't miss an update if you are enjoying the story. Reviews including critiques, jokes, cooking recipes, questions, comments, ideas, suggestions or whatever are greatly appreciated.** **Thank you specially everyone who has followed/favorited/reviewed so far, you guys are AWESOME!**

 **Answers to reviews:**

 **MMM: For now let Annabelle and Hiccup be. Astrid and Snotlout won't be bothering them for at least a chapter or two. Will the lovebirds kiss? Hmmm, that's up to them. Thanks for your review!**

 **lululillie: Yeah, you're completely right. Hiccup has to listen to his heart. Thanks for your review!**

 **Thunderbird 22: I'm glad. Keep reading! Thanks for your review!**

 **dabzzygirl: (from previous chapters) Yeah I know, sadly Vikings have to be tough to her because she's not from the island. And that was good thinking form her part, I agree. Thank you so much for your review!**

* * *

10\. Friends

* * *

BERK

CHIEF'S HUT

Annabelle bolted out of the training arena like the devil was after her. She felt the glares on the back of her neck as she left, but she didn't care about them. The adrenaline took her all the way to the house. Slamming the door open, she ran upstairs to her room and collapsed just besides the bed. Hot tears were streaming down her face as she wept; no matter how much she wiped them off, new ones came and replaced them.

 _I'm so stupid. How could I think this was my home? It's a lie. Everything's a lie._

She was such a fool. As much as she hated to admit it, Astrid was right: Annabelle was nothing but an outsider. She was nobody in Berk.

Her fingernails glided through her hair in frustration; crying would not solve her problem. Although she knew it in her mind, her spirit was damaged. She was tired of concealing her feelings and trying to see the bright side in everything. Even if she wasn't the negative kind of person, now she couldn't help but feel her hopes running out day by day. Staying here only reminded her that going home was next to impossible.

Home. God, she missed her home. Her true home, with her family, not a piece of wet land surrounded with water habitated by Vikings who couldn't even look at her without despising her. Annabelle wanted to get back to Brownsville and to her normal life, where there was no war. Where she could hang out with her friends whenever she wanted and see Ahti almost everyday. Where she would spent ice skating over and over until her routines were perfect. Where Liv would always smile and play with their cat and Dallas would want to take her to the rumbles. Where she would have her mom.

Somehow thinking of her home gave her some strength to do herself the promise that no matter what it took, she would find a way to go back.

 _I swear I'll find a way to go back to my family, even if it's the last thing I do._

By the time Annabelle calmed down her tears were already dried. Taking a deep breath, the bed served her as support as she stood up from the ground. She almost fell for a moment with her head hurting a bit, but she managed to stand straight.

Looking around, her eyes landed on Hiccup's notebook and the Dragon Manual on top of the desk. The latter caught her attention especially. Supposedly the manual was about all the kinds of Dragons, but there was an exception.

Night Fury.

The page that should have information about this Dragon was totally in blank, save for a few scarce details at the bottom which didn't say much either. Annabelle didn't know who had written the book or the reason why the page was incomplete, but there was something that she did know. Only two people who had had an encounter with a Night Fury existed, including her. And the other person was Hiccup.

Annabelle looked towards the notebook and took it in her hands, hesitating if she should open it or leave it where she found it. She had no idea of what could she find in there, it was Hiccup's and his only. If she opened it, she would be invading his personal space, and that was going too far. But curiosity was taking her over, she needed to know if he knew something more about Night Furies that could be helpful. Like a drawing, for example.

Well, what he doesn't know wouldn't hurt him, right? Besides, she was only going to have a _tiny_ look.

After long minutes hesitating, Annabelle opened the notebook and started to skip from page to page looking for a specific drawing, trying not to delay more than five seconds in each. She stopped at once where the sketch of the Night Fury was drawn.

As she stared at it, her eyebrows furrowed. Why she got the feeling she had seen the Dragon before? As if, before she arrived at Berk? Had she seen it in her home?

No, Dragons didn't exist back home. Or at least she could say they were extinct in the time she lived... which would mean that not only she was on the other side of the planet, but also she had somehow time-traveled to the past to get here. How many years exactly she traveled was something she would have to leave it for later.

Back to the Dragons. Ok, so maybe they weren't real where she came from, but they did were in books, novels and movies.

Wait, what about the movie she watched... wasn't it related to Dragons? ...yes! Annabelle recalled seeing a Dragon in the TV, and Hiccup was in there too. What was it's name? She knew it was something that started with a 'T'.

.

.

.

 _Toothless._

Her head snapped up in realization. Yes, the Night Fury she knew was the same Night Fury from the movie, Toothless! And he was Hiccup's best friend!

But something was wrong. Even though she remembered Toothless, she also started to remember that there was something else, something very important that marked the Dragon.

And then it clicked: Toothless couldn't fly on his own. The Night Fury actually had a rider, the very same teenager she knew. The very same teenager that had spent weeks on trying to get the Dragon back to the air because...

She paused, letting the thought sink before gasping and dropping eveything to the floor.

...because Hiccup _and_ her had shot him down from the sky.

The truth dawned on her like a bucket filled with ice cubed water and Annabelle felt her stomach giving strange turns at that point, because it was _their_ fault Toothless would never be able to fly solo. She remembered when they found him at some sort of cove and Hiccup couldn't stop blaming himself. Now she understood, because she felt the same way. It was her duty to help Toothless, and it was out of question.

Without wasting any more time, Annabelle took the notebook with her and turned around to leave... freezing on the spot when her eyes landed in someone else standing at the doorframe.

"Hiccup," she breathed, quickly hiding the notebook behing her back.

The boy didn't say anything for a moment, and Annabelle took it to realize he looked like he had run the marathon.

"Hey, I... I thought I'd find you here. I've been looking everywhere for you," he said after catching his breath.

She frowned. Hiccup had been looking for her all this time? Why? He couldn't actually _care_ for her after everything that had happened up to this point... could he? No, it had to be an act. He was a Viking! He despised her like everyone else!

 _You know that's not true._

No, it wasn't. Sara was right. But Annabelle preferred to believe it was a thousand times rather than being reasonable and admit Hiccup was a boy with a good heart, so she wouldn't feel bad for thinking that all Vikings were the same. So she wouldn't feel bad for not trusting him entirely all this time, when it was clear he trusted her. So she wouldn't feel bad for making a priority to find her way home and forget about him.

"Looking for me?" was all she could say. The surprise was still too big to take it in all at once, and if she kept talking she would reach her breaking point faster than she believed. For her it felt so surreal, especially when he nodded at her and explained the reason.

"I... I wanted to apologize about what happened earlier on the arena. Astrid was very rude with you."

And just like that, the moment snapped for Annabelle when she was brought into the picture.

She completely left out the fact that Hiccup felt sorry and only focused on one thing: he came all this way to apologize, for Astrid? The girl who yelled and threatened them earlier? The girl who didn't give a damn about trying to be nice with anyone? The girl who humiliated her in front of the recruits?

Heck, no.

Annabelle only rolled her eyes as she kept the notebook strapped to her belt at the back. She had enough to deal with as it is. "Never mind. If you're coming my way to apologize for her, just don't."

As she walked past him, she accidentally shoved him to the side taking both of them by surprise. She noticed the shock in Hiccup's face from the corner of her eye and a wave of guilt washed over her. She didn't mean to, but she couldn't find the courage to turn around and apologize. So she swallowed the knot forming already in her throat, and walked away without another word.

* * *

Hiccup stood in shock at the doorframe as he watched Annabelle walk away. Had she just...? No, he refused to accept it. He might not know her for a long time, but it was more than obvious that this was not her. Something was wrong since the first day of training, but he had been too ocuppied with other things to pay the required attention to the signs that screamed: 'Help me! I'm not okay!'

He knew how that felt. He knew how it felt to think no one cares for you and you're just a piece of garbage. For almost his fifteen years of life since he could remember everyone had made him feel that way, and now he was doing the same thing to Annabelle. Gods, how could he allow it? He must have turned into a complete idiot to let it happen! He enjoyed her company, even if they were just eating a soup or going to training. Maybe he knew her from only days ago, but it felt like a lifetime.

"Annabelle, wait!" he suddenly cried, breaking into a run after her. "I want to tell you something!"

Hiccup's footsteps echoed around the house as he rushed downstairs to catch her opening the door. Before she could give another step, he held her back from her forearm. The girl perkep up slightly, and turned around to face him.

"Tell me something else?" she repeated, and he could only nod. "What?"

A lump formed in Hiccup's throat, preventing him from making any sound the moment he opened his mouth. He frowned, he was perfectly fine just a second ago. As he tried to tell her his problem, his mind went in blank when he looked into her eyes.

They were just as beautiful as the blue ocean; mysterious and fascinating. Her eyes sparkled like a pair of sky blue sapphires that changed with her emotions. When she was happy, there was an unexplainable calm them that would even calm himself without knowing why. But when she was angry, the calm was replaced by a fierce storm that could wipe out anyone from where they stood and make him feel like his legs were made of jello.

Clearing his throat after realizing he probably stayed staring like an idiot, he finally found his voice. Only to top it all as he stumbled with his words.

"What, um, what I wanted to say was, is, well, I want to tell you because, uh, you know..."

Oh, and let's not forget about the crimson red blush. He could feel the blood rising to his face as he stumbled to talk, only making out some occasional fragments but not complete statements.

After a couple of minutes getting nowhere, he shut up when Annabelle suddenly snapped at him, taking him by surprise once again.

"You know what? Tell me later when I come back. Right now I have something important to do, ok? Goodbye."

Hiccup blinked. One second he was holding her, the next there was nothing but air and emptiness. She was gone. But really gone gone? She said she had something important to do, but that didn't make sense because there wasn't much she could do here. The next training class was in two days and she didn't have a job or anything.

Suddenly his eyes went wide. _Unless she's thinking_... _oh no._

"Stop!" he yelled, slamming the door open and not caring to check the damage before running after Annabelle. His blood ran cold the second he realized it wasn't working, and he ran even faster when he saw her change from a walk into a run. Hiccup almost swore under his breath and double his efforts to catch up with her. He was gaining on her, but she had a head start. "Wait! Please, listen to me!"

They continued like this for what it felt like long painfully minutes, until she finally stopped when she was out of breath. Hiccup mentally thanked the Gods that he didn't need to catch her in a flying tackle or something and in seconds he managed to reach her, stopping just a few feet away to catch his breath.

He tried to reach out a hand for her and ask her what was wrong, but she whirled around so fast he had to retract it and back a step away. Their eyes locked, and his shoulders slumped a little.

The storm was back.

" _What?_ What is it, for the love of God!?" Annabelle yelled in frustration. "Why can't you leave me alone, don't you see I've had enough already!?"

Hiccup didn't know what to say, he was not expecting this reaction from her. He just looked at her and saw something else in her eyes that he hadn't noticed before. She was at the verge of tears.

That's when he realized that his friend looked worse than he thought. She had dark circles, her eyes, nose and ears were red and swollen. Her lips were parched and chopped, so white they made her look sick. He felt so stupid, how in the world he let those details pass by?

"Go away, go hang out with the real Vikings! Leave me here to die, throw me to the Dragons, I don't care what you do, but _leave me alone!_ Can't you just... leave me..."

Suddenly she lurched forward, and Hiccup was quickly enough to catch her before she hit the ground. Her weight brought them both to their knees, and for a while Hiccup let Annabelle cry until she got everything out of her system. He knew from experience that she wouldn't feel better if she kept her feelings bottled up.

When she had finally calmed down enough, they both pulled appart and lay down on the grass. No one was considering return to the house any time soon, so they opted to stay outdoors for a while. Hiccup gladly kept her company even if they didn't share a word, much to his relief. He was afraid she would tell him to leave, not like he would listen and leave her alone.

None of them needed to say anything to know both of the were enjoying this moment together without anyone around to judge them. Hiccup decided that he liked this feeling. The freedom. But he still had to know, he had been waiting for this moment to ask her. So he took a deep breath and asked.

"Why?"

"Hm?" Annabelle's eyes focused once more and she turned to look at him. "Why what?"

Hiccup sat up. "Why did you stand up for me at training? You didn't have to defend me. The others are right about me, you know. I'm really useless, I can't even carry a sword or an axe."

Annabelle sat as well and hit him on the arm to silence him. "Don't say that! Don't believe their lies, you'll only get them to keep bothering you."

He sighed. "Sorry."

She shook her head. "You don't need to apologize. I do, you just wanted to help me. I'm sorry. I was very angry with... with myself, I suppose." She folded her legs and wrapped her arms around them. "The truth is, I don't know what to do anymore. I've never felt so alone in my life and it scares me. I'm afraid I'll never go home, that I'll never see my siblings or my mom. I would give anything to see them." She looked at him. "Be honest: do you think I'm exaggerating?"

Hiccup frowned. Maybe he didn't know what was to have siblings, but he definitely understood her right now. He felt like he was five again, the day his father told him what had happened to his mother when he was just a baby. He had cried for weeks at night when he was alone in his room and no one could see him.

Annabelle had only been on the island for a week, but all her life she had lived with her loved ones, so it was logical that she felt so out of place here.

"No, you're not. In fact I went through the same thing when I was younger, when I knew what happened to my mom."

Annabelle raised her eyebrows in shock at this, but Hiccup was no longer affected by his mom's disappearance. At first it had had a great impact on him, but he had accepted it long ago like all the other Vikings in the village and learned to live with it. Telling someone else didn't make a difference.

"H-how did you manage to overcome it?" she asked.

"I still can't," he admitted quietly. "You can't, then you learn to live with it. It's not easy. The pain is still there, it's like a wound that opens from time to time, but that can't stop you."

Annabelle nodded slowly. "But... the pain doesn't go away," she pointed out.

He nodded sadly, smiling slightly. "Yeah, it doesn't. But the people who love you help you keep going. My grandfather helped me most of my childhood before he passed away. If it wasn't for him, I don't know what would've happened to me."

Silence reigned for a few seconds, before Annabelle made another question.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Hiccup looked into her eyes briefly, and then returned his gaze to the ground asking himself that question. Why had he decided to tell her, out of all people, about his feelings? He wasn't the type of person to share his emotions with anyone, because everyone treated him as if he were a nuisance.

 _Everyone except for her_ , a voice in his mind said.

That's right. Maybe that was what prompted him to open up with her, the fact that she would not judge him for being himself. At last, he shrugged.

"That's what friends do, right?"

He turned his head at her. If Annabelle was not surprised before, well now she _did,_ but he didn't get her surprise. Perhaps she didn't consider him as a friend like he did?

It was so long the time it took her to answer, Hiccup even wondered if she hadn't heard him.

"Am I your friend?" Annabelle asked so quietly Hiccup almost missed it. They both looked at each other and their eyes met.

"Of course. Don't you think so?"

Very slowly, the corners of her lips twitched upwards. The storm in her eyes was now gone, replaced by a soothing calm that brought a smiled to his own lips. That was something he liked to see.

"Yeah, I do."


	11. The lost boy

**AN: I know, I know. It's been _ages_ since my last update. I'm very sorry about that, but I won't make you wait any longer, go ahead and read your chapter! Just one thing:** **from the next chapter on I'll be answering reviews privately, except for guests who I can't pm. As always, reviews of all kind are greatly appreciated. But you know nothing offensive. Now answers to reviews:**

 **Silverlined Phoenix: I do have a schedule for updating, technically it's supposed to be on Fridays. But I'm kinda taking too long for each chapter, hehe... ups. Keep reading and thanks for your review!**

* * *

11\. The lost boy

* * *

BERK, THE FOREST

Both teens looked at each other and a small smile appeared in each of their faces. Maybe not everything was so bad after all. Sure, perhaps she would not go home in a while, but she wasn't alone here either. Perhaps he didn't fit with the Vikings, but there was someone that accepted him for who he was. Neither had what they wanted, but they had what they needed.

Hiccup was the first one to stand up. He offered Annabelle a hand, who took it warmly and stood up as well. Smiling once more, they were about to head back to town they heard a scream.

"Aaahhh! Help me!"

Both of the teens jumped, almost bumping into each other. They stood gasping, trying to calm down their racing hearts. What had been that?

Hiccup opened his mouth to ask something, when the voice was heard again crying for help. They stared at the woods in confusion and then shared a look, before Annabelle broke into a run leaving Hiccup behind.

"Hey! Wait!" He called in surprise as he followed the trail of her hair moving through the woods and he quickly managed to catch up with her. She then stopped, and Hiccup bent down holding his stomach trying to keep his lunch down.

"Don't ever... do that... again..." He breathed.

"Sorry," she apologized with a sheepish smile, shrugging slightly. "I just got carried away."

"Yeah, that's alright. But a warning next time would be nice," he suggested straining up.

The cries rang through the air once more, and soon both teens found themselves running towards them with Hiccup at the head since he was the faster of the two, and Annabelle following. Constantly the young man got way ahead of her, but thankfully flexibility was on the girl's side due to years of ice skating and it helped her in catching up.

It didn't take them long as they approached the heart of the forest where the sound seemed to come from, and it got to a point it was so loud they had to stop in order to figure out from which direction it was coming. Hiccup could even swear-

He barely had time to register something crashing against his back as he was knocked off his feet and to the ground.

"Uf!" He cried, the air kicked out of his lungs. He coughed as he slowly lifted himself up in a sitting position to see what had bumped into him, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise when all he found was a little boy lying in the ground. For sure he wasn't expecting to see a nine year old here in the woods, and all alone no less! The first thing that went through Hiccup's head was: _where are his parents?_

Annabelle walked towards the boy and helped him gently to sit up, trying to check if he was hurt. Hiccup also saw the look she was giving him, realizing she was concerned as well for him. But he assured her everything was alright with a wave of his hand. She gave him a small smile in relief before turning back her attention towards the little boy. It was then when Hiccup finally had a real look at him, the boy had brown hair shorter and messier than his own, he had green eyes almost blue, and his tone of skin was slightly darker than theirs. He was wearing a grey sleeveless shirt, a dark green leather vest and a brown belt, dark pants and furred boots.

Hiccup also noticed he was trembling pretty bad. He tried to touch his shoulder, but the kid saw him and backed away from him. It took Hiccup off guard a little, but he guessed it was a normal reaction, after all Annabelle had reacted the same way the first time they met.

He turned to Annabelle who looked at him and gestured him to wait. He nodded, and she knelt to match the boy's eye level, shifting his attention to her.

"Hello, sweetheart," she said softly. The little boy whined when his back met a tree, and his trembling increased as he realized he couldn't escape. She noticed it. "It's okay little guy. We're not going to hurt you, alright? We're good people." She gestured to herself. "I'm Annabelle," then she moved her hand towards Hiccup. "And this is my friend, Hiccup. What's your name?"

Hiccup figured out by her way of speaking that Annabelle knew how to treat with little kids, which was something very good for the three of them. Although, if he recalled, she had told him that she had a little sister. Maybe that's why she knew how to act around the little boy they encountered, because he had certainly no idea of what to do.

"M-my name's Leif," the little boy said quietly as he sniffed, never taking off his eyes from the ground and constantly cleaning his nose with the back of his hand.

"That's a very nice name," she smiled.

The boy looked up at her with glassy, big eyes. "You think my name's nice?" he asked with a hint of confusion and doubt.

"Of course, little guy." Annabelle nodded as she sat cross legged in front of Leif, whose eyes were glued to her. "It's just as nice as you, a pretty brave little boy."

"I-I'm not very brave," Leif admitted sadly looking back to the floor, fumbling with his shirt. She tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, allowing him to take his time before answering.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was thinking in silence. He couldn't stop wondering what could a little kid like him possibly be doing all on his own in the woods and crying for help. He imagined thousand of options, and some of them weren't nice at all. Maybe he was running away from something, like a bear, or a wolf, or a dragon itself. Or maybe he just got lost in the woods and had separated from his family. Or maybe he didn't have a family, maybe he was left here to die from starvation. Hiccup seriously considered the last one. He knew that in the Hairy Hooligans now it was forbidden, but in most of the Viking cultures they were cruel enough to leave kids to die in the woods because they were considered too small or too weak. He couldn't believe what kind of people were that evil to do such an awful thing, but for sure he'd never do that in his life.

"I'm s-scared of spiders," Leif said, bringing Hiccup back to their situation.

"What's the problem with that?" Annabelle asked. "I don't see anything wrong with being scared of spiders."

"B-but no one is scared of spiders!" The little boy argued. "It's stupid! I'm the only one scared of them, everyone else is only afraid of dragons."

Simultaneously, the teens turned so their eyes met. Both were thinking the same thing.

"Can I ask you something?" Annabelle said to Leif, trying to change of topic. Leif took a while to consider it before giving a small nod. "What are you doing out in the woods, all on your own?"

"Well, I was playing hopscotch with Spot by the pond near where I live, when he suddenly ran off after a butterfly. My granny says we can't go away too far so I tried to get him back, but he is too fast. I started to call his name, when suddenly a... a d-dragon attacked me! It started to chase me so I ran to escape, but I didn't watch where I was going and lost my way home."

Hiccup sighed in relief inside. Great, so he did have a family. The only thing they needed to do was guide him to his home, and problem solved.

"Um, hey Leif," Hiccup spoke for the first time since they found Leif, and the two looked at the young man. "Would you like if we helped you go home?" he offered, glancing briefly at Annabelle who smiled and nodded her head at him in agreement.

There was another long silence where the only thing that could be heard was the wind moving gently the leaves, before Leif finally answered. He gave a small nod, but the two teens could see crystal clear the fear in his eyes, and none of them complained. They both knew he was scared, after all he was only a little boy and he was trusting a couple of strangers in the middle of the woods. But they were just trying to help him, they would not hurt him.

Annabelle offered to Leif a hand so they both stood up, and he accepted it hesitantly. The trio got off the ground and dusted off their clothes, before walking through the trees, trying to make Leif recognize the path to his home. In the way, the teens tried to cheer up the boy as much as they could. They cracked jokes, they shared happy stories, they tried to play 'I spy with my spy eye' and some other games.

Just as Hiccup was about to suggest another game, Leif screamed, scaring them out of their skins. Both of them turned to where the boy was looking, and their eyes widened in shock. A dragon was standing right in front of them, but they had never seen one of this kind. It had yellow eyes and side-horns protruding from its head, with a nasal horn on top of the snout. Teeth protruded from its lip from its lower jaw, and a row of sharp spines ran down its neck to its tail. Its size was close to an adult Monstruos Nightmare and its scales were reddish-orange, with a cream colored belly.

The teens stood up in front of the boy in a protective way ready to do whatever it had to take so he'd be safe. The dragon bared its teeth towards the trio, while they backed away from it. Looking around, Hiccup spotted a rock nearby and grabbed it, before waiting a moment and throwing it towards the wild Dragon. However what happened next took everyone by surprise.

The Dragon suddenly vanished into thin air and the rock went right through as if there was nothing there a second ago. Hiccup's eyes widened in shock at this, and to make sure he wasn't dreaming he threw another rock towards the same direction, but it hit nothing.

"What happened?" Annabelle asked in confusion, looking at Hiccup for some sort of answer. But he was just as confused as she was.

"I... I have no idea," he admitted as he turned to look back at her, then he looked down at the boy. "Leif, was that the Dragon that attacked you?"

The boy had hid behind Annabelle the moment he saw the Dragon, and hadn't moved from his spot since then. Annabelle had to place a hand on his back so he could move his head to look at Hiccup and nod. This only caused Hiccup to bite his lower lip in thought.

"What are you thinking?" Annabelle asked, noting the pensive look in his eyes.

"I'm thin-" Hiccup stopped at mid-sentence as he stared at a near tree behind her and Leif. He narrowed his eyes at it, for a moment believing he saw the crust and its leaves moving. He wouldn't have found it strange it if wasn't for the fact there was no wind blowing. He didn't took his eyes off it for a good fifteen seconds, until suddenly a blast of green fire was thrown at them out of nowhere.

"Get down!" he cried as he tackled Annabelle and Leif so they wouldn't get burned. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," she replied, having softened Leif's landing as she shielded him with her body. As the three stood up, they turned their heads towards the spot they were standing on a few seconds ago and noticed a green, thick hot liquid burning the ground off.

The trio approached it, and it was then when Hiccup realized what kind of Dragon they were facing. Able to disappear in a blink? Dragons couldn't do that, unless their scales were designed to change color and _camouflage._ Smaller living things as prey? Well, many wild Dragons fed on smaller ones or any other creature that was smaller in size. But it shot _acid_ instead of fire? That was the key; many Dragons had different kind of fire power, and there was only one that could shoot acid.

"It's a Changewing!" Hiccup exclaimed in realization, ducking at the last second from another incoming attack. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't tell where was the Dragon because it seemed as if their surroundings were constantly moving, even though he knew it was the Changewing who moved. At this rate they were completely defenseless and the Dragon could attack them from anywhere. There had to be a way to know when it was going to attack, or at least to know where it was.

He suddenly perked up when another thought went through his head and he turned towards Annabelle. "Anna, have you heard any voice other than Leif's or mine?"

This only caused the little boy to send a questioning look towards the young woman, who raised a confused eyebrow at Hiccup. "Um... yeah, I have. I think I told you before?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No, I mean in the last ten minutes. The new voice could belong to the Changewing," he pointed out. "Maybe you would be able to tell us where is it even though we can't see it, and we could avoid it's attacks."

Annabelle's eyes widened in comprehension before she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Her eyebrows furrowed as she moved her head, when suddenly she snapped open her eyes and gasped.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked.

"I heard it!" she exclaimed, whipping her head in all directions. "It's gone, but I heard it too close to me. For a moment I could swore he was right behind me!"

Hiccup took note they were talking about a male Changewing. "Do you still hear him?"

"Barely, he's quiet most of the time," she admitted. She perked up. "Wait... I think he's getting near..."

The trio hid behind some trees, staying alert. Hiccup's attention was on Annabelle right now, waiting for the girl to say something and readying himself for the moment he'd have to run. She looked at him and pressed a finger against her lips, before pointing to Hiccup. He realized the Changewing was coming for him. He nodded at her, and she raised three fingers.

 _On count of three_.

She raised one finger.

 _One_...

The leaves moved. Hiccup whipped his head to every which way, but he couldn't tell where was the Dragon. Leif was getting scared, and he gripped Annabelle's hand tightly as he gave a small quiet whine. She raised a second finger.

 _Two_...

He closed his eyes, breathing in and out trying to calm down his racing heart. He opened his eyes and felt ready for this. He was ready for anything that could happen. Annabelle snapped her fingers.

"THREE!"

As soon as they got out from their hiding place the Changewing went straight after them. The trio split up into two groups, Hiccup on his own while Annabelle and Leif went together. This confused the Dragon for a moment, before deciding to chase after the two. Leif screamed when he noticed and Annabelle prayed on her head the plan worked.

 _Come on, come on, come on, come on, Hiccup!_ She chanted in her head.

They kept running through the woods, until they reached a dead end.

"We're trapped!" Leif exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I'll figure something out," Annabelle told him.

But she didn't manage to do anything when they heard a roar behind them. The Changewing was just a few feet away, slowly approaching them. Annabelle stood protectively in front of the little boy, who held her hand tightly and hid behind her to get as far away as possible from the beast. This was it. There was no way to escape out of this.

An orange blur appeared out of nowhere and collided with the Dragon, knocking it off his feet as they rolled a few times. When they got up, the two humans noticed the original 'blur' happened to be actually another Dragon, a new species they had never seen before in fact.

 **"What are you doing? Stay out of this, Timberjack!"** The Changewing snapped.

 **"You will respect what was accorded, Changewing! You shall not defy our authority!"** The Timberjack shot back.

 **"The according was made three centuries ago, I've been working hard to get that little piece of meat. Her majesty will be pleased with this catch."**

 **"No. You will return empty handed. Go now, or face the consequences!"**

Time passed painfully slow, and the tension grew with each second that passed. The two Dragons held their stares, until the Changewing backed down.

 **"This won't be the end,"** he threatened. **"I'll see that I get my claws on them, and when I do, you will beg our Queen for mercy."**

 **"We'll see about that."**

And with a final growl, he vanished into thin air. The Timberjack closed it's jaw and turned its head towards the humans. It stared at them down for a few moments, before flying away and disappearing through the trees. Only then, Annabelle and Leif sighed in relief.

"That was a close one," she said as they both breathed in huge amounts of air.

"Anna! Are you guys alright?" Hiccup called as he ran towards them. He sighed in relief as well when he saw they were fine and hugged Anna tightly. She returned it, and only then she realized how badly she was shaking, she hadn't noticed.

"We're alright," she managed to get out after a few tries. They broke the embrace and turned towards the little boy. "Leif?"

Leif peeked over Annabelle's leg, and hesitantly came out. He turned around, but there was no sight of any of the Dragons. He looked up and met two pairs of eyes.

"Is it... is it gone?"

She nodded and placed a hand on his back. "Yes, little guy."

"Oh. Still... can you get me home?"

The teens shared a look.

"Sure," Hiccup smiled. The little boy's lips curved ever the slightest, and the three continued on their way.

* * *

 **I hope the ending's not too rushed. Don't forget to follow, fav and review!**


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